Life Defeats Its Purpose
by Lady Kathleen
Summary: Sakura is stuck with a life she doesn't want. No matter how hard she tries to turn things around, she always ends up back where she began, doing the same things that started the problems. Who will pick her up and help her try again? AU SxS
1. Chapter 1

Rated M for drugs, violence, and sexual scenes.

* * *

When I was a little girl, Daddy was all I thought about. All I wanted. But Mommy was all I had ever known. My earliest memory is of him. This memory portrays the way I always see my parents in the end. At the end of every fight, laugh, dinner, day… It really isn't something I like. But it is something I have come to accept.

_Laughter filled the room. A child whined every now and then, but it was never a big deal. A little girl, no older than five, crawled in and out of the green sleeping bag that was owned by the one adult in the room. A smiling man, with a hint of regret in his eyes, laughed and played with the children. Occasionally he would poke and prod the other child in the room, the only one whom seemed to be in the correct mood for what was to happen._

"_All right, Fujitaka, it's time you leave," a sour looking woman stood in the doorway, her eyes lingering on the playing children._

"_Nadeshiko, please, let me have another hour with the kids," the man, Fujitaka, pleaded. His eyes stared at the woman with contempt and hurt. Shaking her head, though, Nadeshiko addressed the children._

"_Kids, come on, it's time for lunch. Leave your father alone," Nadeshiko turned around as she said this, ignoring the groans of the disappointed children. _

"_Daddy, are you going to eat the chips with us?" the little girl clambered on to the man's lap, giving him a hug. "I'll share with you!" Fujitaka gave the girl a sad grin._

"_I'm sorry, Sakura, but I have to go," Fujitaka's voice broke slightly at the end of this statement, but the little girl didn't seem to notice._

"_Why not? You don't have to worry about Mommy, she's never in the kitchen when we eat," Sakura explained. Sighing, Fujitaka stood, bringing Sakura up with him. Holding her in his arms, he walked to the door._

"_I know, Sweetheart, but Daddy has to go. And I think Mommy is taking you to her friend's house for lunch, anyway." Once outside the door, Fujitaka put Sakura down and knelt beside her. He could already see tears glistening in her eyes, and it hurt him more than anything to think of what she'd do had she been able to understand what was truly going on. "Will you be brave without me, Sakura? Will you take care of your brother while I'm gone?" He ran a finger down her cheek, comforting her. Nodding, the little girl complied._

"_How long will you be gone, Daddy? Will you eat with me tomorrow?" she questioned with hope in her eyes. _

"_I really don't know how long, Sweetheart… but I can't come back tomorrow. Not even on Saturday," Fujitaka mentally flinched at his daughter's reaction; seeing her break down hurt him. "Remember when we talked about being brave? Well, you have to be brave right now. You have to believe I'll come back, because I promise I will. Can you do that for me, Sakura?" Fujitaka's soft voice made the girl's sobs break out, shaking her head as if she weren't sure whether she was saying yes or no._

"_Y-You and Mommy don't have to be away from each other. Everyone fights, don't they? Don't they all fight, even when they're a part of the same family?" Her voice was a pitch higher, cracked and sad. Fujitaka's arms wrapped themselves around her, bringing her into a loving embrace._

"_Fujitaka, what did I tell you? Get out of here, already! I'm sick of seeing you around!" Nadeshiko showed up at the front door, causing Sakura's sobs to become louder and filled with more remorse. Fujitaka sighed. With one last hug and a kiss on the cheek to Sakura, he stood slowly and began walking towards the driveway, where his bags were waiting in the car. _

"_No! Daddy, don't go! Daddy!" Sakura wailed, tears staining her face. She tried to run to her father, but Nadeshiko's arms wrapped themselves around the torn toddler, preventing her from moving. Fujitaka moved quickly, though, with his head down. He got in the car as fast as possible, not wanting his daughter to see how hurt he was. Sakura's screams for him was all he could hear as he started the car, shifting gears. He dared to take one last look at his home and daughter, being held back by the woman he once loved. Through a large window he could see his son, sobbing silently behind it as he watched his departure. In that one second glance, Fujitaka's world came crashing down on him. No longer able to take the pain, he sped off._

_Even after her beloved father was long gone, Sakura continued to cry. She had to be carried in to the house by her mother, who was more angry than sympathetic. In a single movement, Sakura was silenced. Nadeshiko glared at her youngest daughter, looking past the tears and new red handprint on the girl's face._

"_You will be quiet!" she yelled angrily. Sakura bit her lip, turned, and ran. She ran as fast as she could away from her mother._

It's as though that fine line between love and hate grows and shrinks as life goes on. Regardless of all the pain, suffering, happiness, and fun people go through, I don't think anyone grows up. I don't think anyone changes. They just see things in a new light, which could be a change, but the same person is still there. Hypocrisy was never a fad, but always a fashion. Everyone wears it. So I guess I'm a hypocrite, too, along with everyone else I think ill about. So perhaps I'm still the same scared little girl I was more than ten years ago. Perhaps, as much as I would hate to admit it, this brave exterior I think I have is all a fake.

_Big green eyes opened up and welcomed the new morning. Silence, however, targeted her mood. Crawling out of bed, she looked cautiously around her room. Faking a sigh of relief, she left her abode and tread down the mountain of stairs that lead to the living room._

"_Mommy?" the girl called out to the house. She let off a wave of tension, which hung in the air. Moving slowly throughout the house, she checked every room. Scared of her failure to find anybody, she even resorted to checking behind and under furniture. _

"_Mommy?" a sob caught in the girl's throat. A feeling of sheer terror enveloped her body as she walk back inside her room and sat on the floor. She repeated the word over and over, trying to find some comfort from it. "Mommy!" it eventually became a scream. A beg, a cry for help. Her screams eventually became inaudible to even her own ears. _

_The scream continued, going on and on, with nothing to stop it until suddenly a hand covered the girl's mouth. A whisper invaded her thoughts, gradually calming her down. _

"_Sakura, it's okay. It was just a dream… You hear me, Sakura? A dream!" A man held the shaking girl in his arms, who slowly opened her eyes to look in to the ones of her father. Taking comfort in his words, she clung to him, not yet ready to accept the dream._

I guess I can ask myself the question, Why was I so scared? Well… being abandoned isn't exactly something every child wants.

Life Defeats Its Purpose

Chapter One

Sakura Kinomoto stared out the window, watching a calm park fly by. Her older brother had stretched himself out in the back seat of the car, taking no notice to the scenery. Laughing children, loving couples, and happy friends filled Sakura's eyes as she observed her new home.

"…I don't think you have much of a chance, but it might be worth a try. Maybe then you'll accept this change," a woman with long grey and black hair and striking green eyes brought Sakura to the real world.

"I'm sorry," Sakura intercepted, missing the first half of her mother's statement. "What was that?" she asked this innocently, reassuring the woman driving that she wasn't speaking out against her. However, Sakura's lack of attention annoyed her.

"I said there's a performing arts school here called the Academy of Fine Arts… AFA," Nadeshiko paused, letting her daughter take the information in. "I don't think you have much of a chance, but it might be worth a try. Maybe then you will accept this change," the mother finished, repeating herself. Sakura nodded slowly, dismissing her mother's lack of support.

"Oi, Mama, she'll get in," Sakura's brother added. Sakura turned around, smiling at him.

"Touya, will you try, too? Going to a performing arts school your senior year will look good on your application," Sakura reasoned. She drummed her fingers on her knee nervously when she noticed they'd entered a residential neighborhood.

"Maybe," Touya mumbled, sitting up. Sakura looked at her surroundings, noticing the small, worn houses and yellow, weed-filled yards. "I guess this won't be too much different than our place in Shimoda…" he sounded disappointed, something Sakura noted.

"Touya," she started, wanting to make an attempt to cheer him up. "Small houses are so much roomier! And it will give you more work to do around the house. I know how you love working with your hands," she finished, smiling. Touya gave her a small smile in return.

"Yeah, Kaijuu, I guess you're right. With you around, working on the place will be constant," he smirked as Sakura turned and glared at him.

"We're here, kids!" Nadeshiko stated enthusiastically. Parking in front of a small brick house, the small family slowly got out of the car, stretching their sore muscles from the long car ride.

"Nadeshiko!" An older man jogged out of the house, a bright smile on his face. "Sakura, Touya! I'm glad you all made it safely." He pulled Nadeshiko into a hug and kissed her. Disgusted, Sakura and Touya looked away and started toward the house.

The two entered the small, worn-down house and gave themselves a tour. In only a few steps, they'd found the living room, kitchen/dining room, and a bathroom. Walking down a narrow hallway with Sakura in tow, Touya looked to his left, seeing the master bedroom with a door inside that lead to another bathroom. To his right, he saw a small, empty room. Sighing, he entered, leaving Sakura to stare.

"Touya-kun…" Sakura started, but couldn't find a way to finish. Running his fingers through his hair, the young man nodded.

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

Touya breathed heavily as he hauled the last piece of furniture into the small room. Wiping sweat off his forehead, he fell on to the twin bed that he pushed into the left corner of the room. Scampering in behind him, Sakura set the last of the boxes on the floor and claimed the bed across from Touya.

"Kaijuu," Touya sat up and looked at his sister, who was too tired to yell or glare. "Mom and Reed are going out to dinner alone soon. You wanna look around town? We'll take Mom's car," Touya suggested. Sakura thought for a moment. Then shrugging, she nodded.

"You have any money for food?" she asked, taking her wallet out of her pink purse. "I'm pretty sure I used up the rest of mine when we got lunch." Touya thought for a second and fished his own wallet out of his back pocket.

"Yeah, we can probably find some place cheap," he stated. Sakura nodded and stood. Walking over to her suitcase, she rummaged through it until she pulled out a jean skirt and black tank top. Nodding at Touya, she left their room. Touya sighed as he stood up and changed his own clothes.

"Oi! Touya and Sakura! Clow and I are leaving!" Nadeshiko yelled over her shoulder as she walked through the front door. Watching as she pulled herself into her boyfriend's Jeep, Touya scowled. Sakura, coming up behind him, noticed.

"It isn't so bad," she tried. Touya shook his head.

"Mom bought that car for him with her last paycheck. Who knows how long it'll take for her to find a job in this hell hole," Touya turned and headed toward the kitchen, looking for the keys to their own car. Succeeding, he held them up and grinned at Sakura. "How does a night on the town sound, my dear sister?" Sakura giggled as she took his arm, both of them leaving the house.

* * *

"Eriol! I got fifty!" A young man with dark hair and amber eyes slammed a fifty dollar bill on the pool table in front of him, smirking at the man with navy-blue hair across from him. "You in or not?"

Shaking his head and chuckling slightly, Eriol pulled out his own fifty and laid it down.

"You know I never back away from a fight, Syaoran," Eriol teased the other male. He laughed and nodded toward two other boys sitting at the bar.

"You boys wanna join up? Teams, a hundred bet," Syaoran offered this as he picked out his pool, tossing Eriol's to him. A man with spiked black hair and another with brown hair grinned and stood.

"Sounds like fun," the black haired one stated, grabbing a pool and his wallet. The other did the same.

"All right, you're definitely with me, Yamazaki," Syaoran clapped his friend on the back. Yamazaki laughed and nodded.

"Damn," the one with brown hair nodded towards Eriol. "So I'm stuck with him?" he laughed. Eriol flipped the older man off and resorted,

"You lose this, Terada, and I'll be sure you won't make it to your next make-out session with Rika." Terada rolled his eyes at the threat and threw down a fifty to join the rest of the cash.

"We set?" Yamazaki questioned. Then, out of nowhere, a tanned, delicate hand snatched up the money and counted.

"Oi! Meilin, paws off!" Syaoran yelled, annoyed. The girl simply rolled her eyes at him.

"How can you guys bet a fair game with no ref?" she reasoned. The other guys complained, but complied. Three other girls waltzed up behind Meilin.

"How much this time?" A girl with long black and purple hair giggled.

As she finished counting, Meilin replied, "Two-hundred."

"Why the low wage, guys?" one of the other girls with light brown shoulder length hair inquired. Yamazaki winked at her.

"Just a friendly game, babe," he grinned and went back to the game. Blushing, the brunette smacked her friend's hand away as she teased her.

"Stop, Rika!" she whined to the girl. The girl's chin length dark brown hair fell in her face as she laughed.

"Chiharu-chan, you know you like it!" Rika giggled. Chiharu dragged her away, mumbling to the other two girls about getting drinks.

Laughing, Meilin sat at a table near the guys' game and nudged the last girl with her. "Ne, Tomoyo, how are things for the showcase?" she asked. Tomoyo opened her mouth to answer, but instead stared at the door.

Wondering what caught the girl's eye, Meilin turned toward the entrance to the bar. Raising a fine eye brow, she nudged Tomoyo.

"Have you seen them around here before?" she asked, intrigued.

"No, I haven't," Tomoyo answered. She kept staring as a tall young man in tight jeans and a white T-shirt pulled out a chair for a much shorter girl in boots, a skirt, and a black tank. Meilin gave an expectant look to Tomoyo, who nodded and stood up. Together, the two girls approached Rika and Chiharu.

"Oi, Rika-chan, you see the couple by the entrance?" Tomoyo asked lightly. Confused, Rika's head darted toward the door, followed by Chiharu.

"Who are they?" Rika asked.

"Newbies barely ever come here," Chiharu added. Nodding, Meilin ordered a drink.

"I don't know how they could have even managed to find this place. I mean, it's disguised by rednecks and trash," Meilin stated, sliding into the stool next to Chiharu. Tomoyo sat next to her, still studying the couple.

"They don't look like they're together," Tomoyo observed. "The guy hasn't touched the girl the entire time they've been here." Meilin took this fact into consideration.

"If that's so, maybe I should go talk to them," she giggled. "The guy looks like he needs a really… nice welcome," she winked at the other girls, who laughed at her.

"Judging from the way he's acting, I doubt he'd want someone like you on his welcoming committee," Syaoran nudged Meiln from behind. "Pay up, Yamazaki kicked some ass," he laughed at Eriol and Terada as they slumped into a table nearby.

"Maybe next time, boys!" Yamazaki laughed as he took half the cash and gave the rest to Syaoran, who regarded the new-comers.

"Seen them anywhere at all?" he asked no one in particular. Everyone else shrugged and said no. Beckoning the bartender over, Syaoran whispered to him, slipping him a ten. Nodding, the bartended made a margarita and walked over to the new girl.

"For you, miss, from a regular," he grunted and walked away. Looking confusedly at the drink, she looked up, searching for the mystery man.

Syaoran, stared at her, trying to catch her eye and drinking a bottle of beer.

* * *

"Kaijuu, who the hell gave you that?" Touya glared at the margarita glass and then at anyone else who was in the bar. Sakura shrugged and kept searching, although anyone who looked wouldn't have noticed. Finally, her eyes fell on an attractive man who looked to be her brother's age. Smirking, he raised his beer bottle and mouthed, "Welcome."

Sakura regarded him for a second, debating whether or not she should accept. She glanced at her brother and shrugged, drinking the margarita.

"Kaijuu, it's two in the morning. We should be getting back…" Touya trailed off, glancing at the guy hitting on his sister. Sakura sighed, kicking her brother's leg.

"We never go home this early, especially on a Friday night," she complained. He nodded his head.

"Yeah, but this is our first night here and that dick Reed is around permanently now. No need to piss anyone off yet," Touya resorted, flinching. Sakura finished the margarita and sighed.

"I really hate it when you make sense," she said, looking at him. He grinned and ruffled her shoulder length auburn hair.

"Come on," he left a tip on the counter and walked out of the bar, Sakura following close behind. Before walking out the door, she looked back at Syaoran and waved.

* * *

Syaoran watched as the girl waved and disappeared through the door.

"She's fuckin' hot, man," Yamazaki stood next to him, watching Sakura leave. Laughing, Syaoran finished his beer.

"Hell yeah, but did you see the guy glaring a hole in my forehead?" Everyone laughed and stood.

"Oi, let's spend the rest of the night in my basement," Eriol suggested. "Parents are out." He winked at Tomoyo, who smirked and turned around, the other girls following.

"Maybe we'll see you there!" Tomoyo yelled over her shoulder and left the bar, the other girls following close behind while talking amongst each other.

"Again, Eriol, why the hell haven't you two hooked up yet?" Terada asked, rolling his eyes. Syaoran and Yamazaki laughed, while Eriol walked away smirking.

"You guys coming or do I get the girls to myself tonight?"

* * *

That's the first chapter! Basically the same as before, I just combined the prologue and first chapter. Now, I will NOT update unless I get reviews! I don't care how many reviews, I just want to know people like this and would like me to continue!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for the reviews! It makes me feel so good about myself... I mean, how else would I know what everyone thinks? Which means review this chapter, too! Not very long, but I hope you all like it...

Life Defeats Its Purpose

Chapter Two

_Laughter filled the air. Dew covered leaves were scattered over the ground, occasionally being kicked up by the feet of two children._

"_Touya-kun!" an attractive, auburn haired girl giggled as she was tackled to the ground. The attacker grinned as he covered her in leaves, running away when she started getting restless. Stumbling to her feet, Sakura chased him. "Touya, get back here!" she screamed through her laughter._

_Smirking over his shoulder, Touya disappeared through a cascade of the leaves of a weeping willow. Following him, Sakura tackled what she thought would be him. Landing on air, however, she looked up, dumbfounded. With a groan, she landed with a loud "thud" on her stomach._

_Coughing, Sakura clutched her chest as she stood. She looked slowly around her. Recognizing the scenery of her backyard, she let out a sigh of relief. Frowning, she looked around for her brother. Not seeing him, she shook her head and walked to the house. _

"_Mama? Touya?" Sakura called. She walked slowly to the kitchen. Seeing a woman she didn't recognize, a gasp escaped her lips. _

"_Sakura," the woman seemed to have expected her. Turning around, the woman gave Sakura a smile that sent shivers down her spine. "What are you waiting for?" A hand appeared on Sakura's shoulder. Screaming, she spun around and saw darkness._

"Sakura! Sakura!" Sakura whimpered, trying to make herself as small as possible. Touya, getting frustrated, slapped her. "Sakura!"

Eyes wide open, Sakura's breath caught in her throat.

"T-… Touya?" she asked In a small voice.

"Yeah…" Touya brought Sakura to him and hugged her. In shock, Sakura slowly wrapped her arms around him, tears spilling from her eyes. "It's okay," he said over and over. "It was just a dream, I'm right here." He rocked her back and forth, running his fingers through her hair.

"Touya-kun, don't leave," Sakura whispered into his shirt.

"Shh, Sakura, I won't leave you. I will never leave you," Touya assured her, his voice cracking. He continued to rock back and forth with her until she was fast asleep. Setting her down gently, Touya stood and left the room.

Making his way down the narrow hallway, Touya glanced in the kitchen. Seeing his step-father passed out on the kitchen floor, he sighed. Picking up a discarded vodka bottle, he took a swig and sat on the couch in the living room.

Looking around the room, he drank some more and rested his head in his hands. The living room was a wreck after the fight earlier that evening. A broken lamp was discarded on the seat next to him. As he looked down, he noticed a broken picture frame. Touya's breath caught in his throat as he picked up the picture beneath the broken glass.

A good-looking young man, a little boy, and a toddler in a dress sat on a slide, smiling at the camera. The little girl was sitting in the man's lap, caught in a laugh. Staring at the picture, Touya squeezed his eyes shut. A sob caught in his throat as his rested his head in his hand. Clutching the picture as if his life depended on it, Touya cried silently.

Eriol moaned, stretching his arms above his head. He yawned and opened his eyes, squinting in the sunlight. Looking to his side, he saw Tomoyo and Meilin sleeping next to each other. Yawning again, Eriol rolled over.

"Goddamnit!" Eriol yelled, landing on the floor. Cursing under his breath, Eriol propped his upper body up on his elbows. He looked around the room, seeing that a few of his friends had stirred. Letting out a sigh, he stood up. Syaoran, who was asleep in front of the TV, opened his eyes tiredly, glaring at him.

"What the hell, man?" he groaned. The young man rolled over and stood up, taking a moment to get his bearings. "Damn… I am so hung over," he complained. Eriol nodded and nudged Meilin with his foot. Blinking, she stared up at him, an obvious glare on her face.

"Black coffee," Eriol offered and headed upstairs, Syaoran following close behind.

Eriol scratched his head as he started the coffee, Syaoran slipping into a stool.

"Man, what the hell was that last night?" Syaoran complained. He laid his head on the counter, running his fingers through his messy brown hair.

"Fuck if I know," Eriol grumbled. "The shithead isn't even here anymore, so Chiharu and Rika will be fine." He lay his head in his hands, staring at the coffee machine. Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, if they avoid eye contact and don't speak. Fucking Terada cheated on Rika with Chiharu, of all girls," Syaoran yawned and stood up, shuffling toward the cabinets. Taking a moment to process what he saw when he opened them, Syaoran shook his head and took out two mugs.

"Gotta give him his props, though," Eriol grinned. "Those two are fucking babes. If I hadn't known them my entire life, I'd want them to lay me." Eriol poured coffee into each mug. Setting the coffee pot back, he slid on to the counter.

"What is this about babes and sex?" Meilin sauntered in, a tired look on her face. Tomoyo entered the kitchen after her, texting on her phone. "If you're talking about the girls, they're both still passed out." Syaoran looked at her oddly, taking a gulp of his coffee.

"If Rika and Chi are 'the' girls, what exactly are you two?" he smirked at Meilin's glaring face. Eriol laughed and gave the newcomers each a cup of coffee.

"Did you guys know that was going on?" Eriol asked Meilin and Tomoyo. Shaking her head, Tomoyo sipped her coffee.

"Chi-chan and Rika-chan are best friends and Terada is a dick. Of course none of us knew," Meilin laid her head on the counter.

Syaoran snorted. "Not anymore," he grumbled and finished his coffee. Standing, he waved at the others. "I'm headin' home. I'll see you guys later." Syaoran fished his keys out of his pocket and walked through the front door. Meilin rolled her eyes.

"I swear, that boy is so inconsiderate," she grumbled as she sipped her coffee. Tomoyo shrugged.

"What is he supposed to say or do, hun? The only reason he's always stuck with us girls is because the other boys can tolerate us," Tomoyo laughed. Meilin slumped again the counter.

"Well, we love having you girls around!" Eriol cut in with a grin. "Meilin is the only one we have to tolerate," he winked. Meilin gave the blue eyed boy a death glare.

"When do you plan on going back to England, exactly?" Meilin growled. "I would love to be at your farewell party." The young woman crossed her arms over her slightly chubby stomach.

"Funny, Syao-kun is always asking me the same thing," Eriol responded thoughtfully. Tomoyo rolled her eyes and put away her phone.

"Leaving is a good idea, actually," she smiled, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Yamazaki is here for me. See you guys at the bar?" Tomoyo hugged Meilin.

"Aw, already?" Eriol whined. Tomoyo smirked and leaned across the counter, showing him her cleavage.

"You can't always have me to yourself, Eriol-kun," she said seductively. Eriol grinned at her. "Maybe you'll get lucky if you show up tonight." She winked and walked out the door. Meilin rolled her eyes at Eriol's goofy smile and took her coffee to the den to wake up the other girls.

"Hey, Yamazaki!" Tomoyo greeted cheerfully. Yamazaki grinned and waved at Tomoyo, talking to Syaoran.

"This family just moved in with Clow down the street. The woman wants me to start working on their lawn, paying me ten dollars an hour," Yamazaki said to Syaoran as Tomoyo jumped in his truck. Syaoran laughed.

"She expects you to clean up that dump? I don't think there's even been a night when that guy hasn't been high or drunk, and that's when he really trashes the place," Syaoran laughed. Yamazaki smirked.

"This means I'll be raking in the cash, man. But, hey, you could always help out and get some of your own… if you already didn't get everything," Yamazaki snorted, laughing. Syaoran smacked him on the back of his head and backed toward his black convertible.

"Maybe with that extra cash you could get something other than a pick-up truck!" Syaoran taunted playfully. Yamazaki laughed and started his truck, backing out of the driveway. Glancing at Tomoyo, Yamazaki grinned.

"I'm guessing you didn't drink very much, considering you texted me the moment you woke up," he laughed. Tomoyo rolled her eyes.

"I have work today. My mother wants me to design a new dress for the show," she explained. Yamazaki nodded and turned on to a street with slightly bigger houses. Spending the rest of the ride in silence, they eventually reached a cul-de-sac with only one house stood, filling up the spots of two houses.

"So, Yamazaki…" Tomoyo started. She unbuckled her seatbelt but remained in the car. Running his fingers through his hair, Yamazaki looked at the dark haired beauty.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "Actually, I knew before last night." Tomoyo looked at him, surprised.

"What?" Tomoyo sputtered, shocked. Yamazaki leaned back, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.

"Terada and I actually… Well, we made a bet," Yamazaki started. Tomoyo gasped and swung open the door, jumping out.

"I can't believe you! How the hell could you do that to them?" Tomoyo yelled. Yamazaki started talking, but Tomoyo wouldn't let him. "They're best friends, you bastard! And you and Terada both! How could you guys?" Tomoyo stormed off toward her house. Yamazaki yelped and jumped out of the truck.

"Tomoyo! Wait! It isn't what you think!" he yelled. Tomoyo whirled around right before she reached the door.

"Then what is it, Yamazaki? You didn't mean to hurt either one of them?" Tomoyo asked, obviously sarcastic. She turned back around, opening the large oak door.

"Tomoyo, it really isn't like that," Yamazaki tried explaining. Tomoyo, oblivious to this, slammed the door in his face. Yamazaki let out a scream of frustration.

"Tomoyo, just let me explain!" he yelled at the door. After a few moments of silence, he punched the brick wall. "Shit!" he stomped back to his truck and started it. Glaring at Tomoyo's house, he backed out and drove back to his own neighborhood.

Tires screeching, Yamazaki parked on the side of a cracked road. Taking a deep breath to calm down, he got out of his truck and walked across the trash covered yard he parked in front of. Stopping in front of the door of the broken down little house, he straightened his green shirt and ran his fingers through his black hair. Glancing around him, he rang the doorbell.

About five minutes passed and Yamazaki sighed. He looked to the driveway and saw a shiny blue Jeep. Turning around, he laid his eyes on an old beat up silver car. Yamazaki sighed and rang the doorbell again. Upon doing so, he heard a crash in the house. Muffled voices were heard and Yamazaki shifted uncomfortably. A few thumps were heard as the person behind the door strained to open it.

"Can I help you?" a teenage girl with shoulder length auburn hair stood in the open door. Yamazaki stared open mouthed at her, trying to make his mouth form the right words.

"Kaijuu! Who is it?" a voice interrupted Yamazaki's wandering eyes, taking in the girl's skinny jeans and half buttoned blouse. A young man showed up behind the girl, glaring into Yamazaki's dark eyes. "Who're you?" the man demanded.

"Um, well, my name is Yamazaki Takashi. A woman named Nadeshiko Reed spoke to me about some work," Yamazaki explained. The two in the door frowned and exchanged a look.

"Oh, well… why don't you come in?" The petite girl offered. She moved out of the way, slamming her heel into the man's foot in the process with a sickly sweet smile. "Sakura no Kaijuu," she explained and the man grunted in pain.

"Uh, thank you," Yamazaki mumbled as he moved through the door. He paused for a moment, seeing broken glass and alcohol bottles all over the place. "Nice… place," he offered. The girl, Sakura, snorted.

"If you consider this shitty dump nice, I'd like to know where you live," Sakura rolled her eyes. Yamazaki chuckled and Sakura smiled at him. Glaring, the man swung his arm over Sakura's shoulder and turned them around.

"Give us a moment," he said. Sakura headed down a hallway a few steps away and the man entered the kitchen, where Yamazaki noticed a man sleeping on the floor. "Oi! Reed! Get your ass up," the man nudged Clow with his foot, causing him to groan and roll over onto an ash tray.

"Shit…" Reed mumbled and stumbled to his feet. Yamazaki noticed Sakura reappear with a beautiful woman in a robe behind her.

"Yamazaki!" the woman giggled and made her way to him, slumping herself in to hug him. "I'm so glad you could come! But I am so sorry about the mess," the woman glared at Sakura. Getting the message, the young replica of the woman picked up a broken lamp on the couch and walked away. Yamazaki watched her leave, uncomfortably glancing at everyone else in the room.

"Yamazaki-kun, I'm Nadeshiko," the woman smiled. Yamazaki smiled back and shook her hand, creating more space between the two.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nadeshiko-san. What is it you want me to do first?" Yamazaki asked, feeling slightly nervous. Clow looked like he was about to shoot someone and Nadeshiko looked ready to jump him.

"Well," Mrs. Reed started. "First you can clean up all the trash in the yard. The garbage can is on the side of the house and there are bags somewhere in the kitchen… And, well, come find me when you're done!" Nadeshiko smiled and went back down the hall, Clow close behind her. Noticing the last guy in the room, Yamazaki nodded at him, making his way toward the kitchen.

"Touya," the young man said, holding his hand out. Yamazaki, surprised, nodded and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you," he replied. He looked around uncomfortably. Touya sighed and dug through one of the cupboards, eventually pulling out an almost empty box.

"Well… there's not much left. But Saki and I planned to go shopping today anyway," Touya explained. Yamazaki nodded and thanked him.

Walking into the alley on the side of the house, Yamazaki spotted the trash can. Grinning, he headed toward it. He was distracted, however, by something blocking his way.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Yamazaki said, grabbing whoever he ran in to before they fell. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Yamazaki was slightly shocked to find Sakura in his arms. She straightened up and regarded him skeptically. Looking at him, she frowned. "Little advice… come here the least often you can." She walked past him and around the corner. A confused look on his face, Yamazaki shrugged and lugged the trash can to the front yard.

* * *

How was that? Not very enlightening, but I don't want anything to move too fast. Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all for the reviews! In this chapter you get to see more of Sakura's personality, along with moving along further in the story.

* * *

Life Defeats Its Purpose

Chapter Three

Sakura hummed happily as she walked into the mall. Upon entering, she looked around. Finding a mirror, she smiled at herself, approving of her black shorts and pink blouse. Spotting Hot Topic, her smile widened and she strutted into the dark store.

"Welcome," a guy with a lip ring and several piercings on his ears smiled at Sakura. Sakura smiled back, glad the boots she wore made her feel more comfortable in the gothic setting. She made her way to a rack on the wall holding colorful corsets. Grinning when she found a black lace one with pink silk, she held it in front of her.

"You know, I have some jeans that would look amazing with that and the outfit would look amazing on you," Sakura jumped at the female voice, which came from a girl who appeared in front of her. Looking up slightly to meet the girl's eyes, Sakura's eyes widened.

"You were at the bar the other night!" Sakura exclaimed. It was hard to forget the girl's sweet face and long, silky black hair. The girl giggled and nodded.

"I didn't think you'd remember me! I'm Tomoyo Daidouji," the girl smiled and held out her hand.

"Sakura Kinomoto," Sakura smiled back at Tomoyo and shook her hand. Tomoyo, grabbing the corset out of Sakura's hands, walked up to the cashier, grabbing a pair of paint splattered converse.

"I'll take these, please," Tomoyo smiled as she pulled out a credit card.

"Uhm," Sakura stuttered. "Y-you don't have to do that." She watched in amazement as Tomoyo bought the items with a silver platinum card. Tomoyo grabbed the bag and started walking out of the store, Sakura on her trail. "Really, you don't. How did you even know my shoe size?" Sakura kept going, glancing in the bag.

Tomoyo giggled. "I have an eye for fashion," she winked and hooked her arm with Sakura's. "You're new in town, aren't you?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura nodded, cracking a smile.

"Yeah, I just moved here about a week ago," Sakura replied. Tomoyo led her to a café and sat down, offering Sakura the seat across from her.

"What school are you going to?" Tomoyo asked as she set her stuff down. Sakura sat down and leaned on the table.

"Well, I'm going to be auditioning for AFA in a week. Hopefully my brother will be, too," Sakura said. Tomoyo gasped, clapping her hands together.

"No way! I go there, too! Along with all of my friends, of course. I'm in the fashion design class. Which class are you auditioning for?" Tomoyo asked excitedly. Sakura laughed at her giddiness.

"Dance. I've been on all of my schools' drill teams, and I don't plan to quit now," she winked and Tomoyo laughed. Tomoyo pulled her purse onto the table top and started rummaging through it, looking for lip gloss. Sakura gasped, seeing the insignia on the purple bag. "No way!" Sakura almost yelled.

"Huh?" Tomoyo looked at her, confused.

"You are _the_ Sonomi Daidouji's daughter! She owns a toy company! You design all the clothes for her charity events!" Sakura was nearly jumping up and down. Tomoyo laughed delightedly.

"Yep, that's me! I'm actually here looking for some finishing touches to a dress I just designed!" she exclaimed, giggling. "And it's not as great as you make it out to be!"

"That is so not true!" Sakura retorted. She clapped her hands together, bubbling over with excitement. "Oh my God, I love all of your designs! I watched the Christmas runway last December and I couldn't believe what I saw!" Sakura had stars in her eyes as she spoke. Tomoyo listened, slowly getting excited.

"Really? Which one did you like best? I spent almost a year on that show!" Tomoyo laughed. Sakura thought for a moment.

"The sleek party dress, definitely," she responded. Tomoyo looked confused for a moment.

"Really?" Sakura nodded, looking at her curiously. "Why? I mean, that was one of my simplest designs," Tomoyo shook her head. Most fans liked the more complicated designs.

"That's one of the reasons I love it!" Sakura exclaimed. "And you could wear it to almost any type of event… and it still looked like it belonged on the runway!" Sakura beamed.

"Like you?" Tomoyo said slyly, catching Sakura off guard for a moment.

"Me?" she laughed. "The day I walk the runway, my fridge will be full!" Sakura continued to laugh to herself. Tomoyo, confused at the comparison, continued.

"Well, Sakura… Would you want to be my model?" Sakura stared open-mouthed at Tomoyo, dumbfounded.

"No way! There's absolutely no way I could pull that off!" Sakura blushed.

"But, Sakura-chan, you're so cute! It's okay if I call you that, right?" Tomoyo waited a moment for Sakura to nod, then continued. "Well, you have the perfect look for all of my creations, anyway! And I would love making clothes for you!" Tomoyo begged. She looked at Sakura with puppy eyes, leaning forward in anticipation.

Sakura, unable to pass up the opportunity, shifted uncomfortably. "Well, if you really want me to…" she trailed off. Tomoyo shrieked, causing everyone surrounding them to stare. Sakura waved, grinning sheepishly.

"Yes! Thank you so much! Where do you live? Do you want to come to my house? Oh, wait, what's your number?" Tomoyo rambled on. Giggling, Sakura held up her hands.

"Slow down! I don't have a phone! But here's my address…" Sakura took out a pen and wrote it down, handing it to Tomoyo. Tomoyo grinned and took it, doing the same with her own address with the addition of her phone number.

"Well, call me tonight if you can! But if not, I'm coming to your house tomorrow at, let's say," she looked at the time on her phone, which read two in the afternoon. "Three?" Tomoyo questioned. Sakura nodded vigorously.

"Of course! I can't wait!" Sakura replied.

* * *

Yamazaki wiped the sweat off his forehead as he chucked another trash bag full of bottles in the dumpster. The heat of the day had gotten to him earlier and he disposed of his shirt, shoving it in his back pocket and exposing his well-toned abs. Glancing around him, he sighed with relief at the site of no more trash. The dirt, yellow grass, and weeds, however, made him groan.

"Yamazaki-kun!" a sweet voice called out to him and he smiled.

"Sakura-chan," Yamazaki greeted tiredly.

"Where's Touya-kun?" Sakura asked him as she approached. Shrugging, Yamazaki took his t-shirt out of his pocket, throwing it into his truck.

"Think he's at work. Told me to let you know he won't be back 'til about one tonight," Yamazaki replied. Sakura frowned and shifted the bag she was carrying from one hand to the other.

"So Touya-kun got the job at that restaurant a couple blocks over?" Sakura asked and Yamazaki nodded. Sighing, Sakura pouted. "I just hope he doesn't take as many shifts this time! I never got to spend time with him the last time he had a job," she complained. Yamazaki grinned and swung his arm over her shoulder.

"C'mon, you still got me around! Tell me that's not a bad thing," he laughed. Sakura joined in and shrugged his arm off of her.

"Of course it isn't a bad thing! And I even have something to show you. Come in the house," Sakura said as she walked toward the front door. Yamazaki followed, curious. "Is anyone home?" Sakura asked to no one in particular.

"Nah," Yamazaki answered her. "Your parents left about an hour ago." Yamazaki didn't overlook the glare that crossed her face when he said that. Not wanting to intrude, however, he continued. "What is it you want to show me?"

Sakura's glare turned in to a grin and she stopped him at the end of the hallway. "I made a new friend today at the mall! She bought me this top and shoes and gave me a pair of jeans to go with it. She's absolutely amazing!" Sakura beamed and Yamazaki couldn't help but smile back.

"Well then, go on, put it on and get on the runway," Yamazaki gestured toward the short, narrow hallway. Giggling, Sakura bounded into the room she shared with Touya and shut the door. Yamazaki leaned against the wall, grinning at the door. A few minutes later, the door opened, along with Yamazaki's mouth. Before him stood a version of Sakura he hadn't seen yet.

Hair down, Sakura stepped to the middle of the hallway and faced him. A lace corset defined her small waist and made her bust even more noticeable than usual. The skin tight jeans she wore seemed to be made for the paint splattered converse on her tiny feet.

"Well, what do you think?" Sakura asked. When Yamazaki's mouth couldn't form any words, Sakura walked slowly toward him, spinning around. "You don't like it?" A worried look was pasted on her perfect face.

"N-no!" Yamazaki exclaimed quickly. "I mean, well, you look amazing. Gorgeous, really." Yamazaki's rushed compliments made Sakura giggle, making him rant even more. "I mean, I didn't know your belly button was pierced, and that's seriously hot," Yamazaki mentally smacked himself but kept going. "I mean, I would totally bang you," Yamazaki finished without thinking. He then wished he had a gun to shoot himself with. Sakura stared at him for awhile. He started squirming, intending to say more, but was interrupted by Sakura's musical laughter.

Wide eyed, Yamazaki stared at her uncomfortably. "Um, Sakura," he started, but she kept laughing. He let out a nervous laugh, too, trying to calm down. When Sakura's laughter died down, she looped her arm around his, standing close.

"You can cool it, big boy," she winked. Yamazaki stared at her.

"Okay then…" Yamazaki let out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding. Sakura tugged him toward the door.

"Anyway, you've worked enough today! I say we go out and have some fun," Sakura offered, her voice indicating he didn't have a choice. Yamazaki laughed and rolled his eyes mockingly at her.

"And what fun could you, of all people, come up with?" Yamazaki teased. Sakura let out a cute pout and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Plenty more than you could," Sakura retorted as she shimmied her hand into his pocket. Yamazaki stared at her, unsure of what to do and trying to keep himself under control. Smirking at him, she kept her hand in there longer than necessary and then slowly pulled it out, his keys in hand. "Mind if I drive?" She sauntered past him, his eyes never leaving her.

Following Sakura like a puppy dog, Yamazaki jumped into the passenger seat of his truck.

"Where are we heading?" Yamazaki asked. Sakura grinned.

"No idea! After all, I've only lived here a week," she laughed. Yamazaki shook his head and leaned back, noticing Sakura staring at his body as she started the truck. Smirking he looked at her.

"Like what you see?" he teased as he rolled down his window as they drove away. Sakura blushed slightly, swiveling her head away so he wouldn't see.

"I dunno, I can only see half of it," she said, giggling. Yamazaki's smirk turned into a grin.

"Turn here," he instructed and Sakura did. Slowing down to the speed limit, Sakura looked around.

"What is this place?" she asked. She saw nothing but dirt and trees. Eventually, Yamazaki told her to pull over.

"Well," Yamazaki dug for something under his seat. "This is where I go to have fun." He pulled out a pipe and grinned at her. Slowly smiling back, Sakura unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted close to him.

"So you have contacts?" she asked, eyeing a small bag he was getting out.

"Of course I do," Yamazaki said laughing, taking a bit of marijuana and putting it in the head of the pipe. Taking out a lighter, Yamazaki lit the plant while sucking in through the pipe. Sakura watched, getting excited. When he was done, Yamazaki turned his head and blew the smoke out the window. Sakura smirked, knowing it was her turn, and sat on Yamazaki's lap, straddling him.

Yamazaki stared at her tiny body on top of his. Leaning his head back, Yamazaki moved the pipe to Sakura's lips, who obliged. Holding the flame to the marijuana, Yamazaki watched Sakura as she sucked in. When she was done, Sakura held the smoke in her mouth and leaned forward. Yamazaki watched with his mouth slightly open as their mouths met and smoke entered Yamazaki's mouth. Yamazaki's hands moved down her body as Sakura pulled away, smirking.

Yamazaki picked the stuff back up and took another drag. They continued to do this for a few hours, using up about an ounce of marijuana. When they were done, Sakura continued to kiss Yamazaki while his hands explored her body.

"Sakura," Yamazaki said as they sat in the truck grinding against each other. His hands moved toward her pants.

"Yeah?" she mumbled back, sucking on his neck and taking no notice to his hands.

"Let's do it, babe," he said, moving one of his hands to her left breast. She moaned slightly and started kissing his chest.

"No, I don't wanna," she complained. He kissed up her should and neck.

"I have somethin' in my wallet," Yamazaki offered. Sakura groaned and looked at him, a pout on her face and the red in her eyes fading away.

"I don't wanna, Yama-kun," she said again. Yamazaki sighed and kissed her.

"Fine," he replied between kisses. They ended up lying down, staring at the roof of the truck.

"What do you wanna do now?" Sakura asked, looking at him. Yamazaki looked at his phone, the time reading eleven at night.

"We can head to my friend's house," he offered. Sakura smiled and crawled to the passenger side of the truck, pulling up her corset that had started to slip.

"Let's go, then!"

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I need reviews! I'm not sticking completely to my writing style in this story, but I hope that doesn't make it bad... I want Sakura's personality to be complex, not all over the place.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four! Not very long, but it is something. And I'm almost done with the fifth chapter, so this one just needs reviews. [: Also, The song is MINE. Okay? I wrote that. And the Grind is a coffee house in a town I used to live in. Now, read and REVIEW!

Life Defeats Its Purpose

Chapter Four

Sakura moaned as she rolled over, her long auburn hair covering her face. Touya let out a frustrated sigh, shaking her once more. He was worried she was falling into the same path, staying out late every night and coming home either drunk, high, or just in a bad mood. She hadn't even acknowledged him as she slumped into bed early this morning, completely disregarding the worried look in his eyes and the drunk giggling of their mother down the hall. Sakura had passed out the moment her head hit the pillow, sending Touya into a confused rage. What could have kept her out so long so early in their new life?

"Oi, Kaijuu…" Touya nudged her one last time, settling down next to her with a glass of water in mind. But knowing how bad of a mood it would put his sister in, he set that possibility aside and resorted to slapping her awake.

In a flash, Touya was on the ground with a grunt, the small figure of his sister pinning him down. The screech of annoyance that had come from her as he slapped her awake hadn't even had time to comprehend in the young man's mind. In a swift movement, Sakura's fist collided with Touya's jaw, not quite hurting him, but it would leave a bruise.

"Oi, Sakura! It's me! Quit it!" Touya yelled. Pausing, Sakura took a moment to take a breath and look at the man beneath her. Shaking the weariness from her eyes, the girl groaned and fell off her brother, on to the floor. In exasperation, Touya sat up and studied the girl. "Where the hell were you last night?"

Moaning, Sakura dragged herself to her feet and crawled back on to her not-so-soft bed.

"Touya-kun, I'm really not in the mood…" she mumbled, closing her eyes. With a glare, Touya pulled Sakura back to her feet.

"Too bad, I wanna know _now._ The half naked adults out there in the living room may not give a shit, but you're stuck with me," Touya growled. Flinching, Sakura took a step back.

"I was just with Yamazaki, all right? We hung out in his truck for a few hours then we went to one of his friend's house, some guy named Terada," Sakura explained. Touya's glare sharpened as he grabbed her wrist.

"What the hell were you doing getting it on with that gaki? I'm not gonna tolerate some white trash piece of testosterone feeling up my little sister," Touya yelled. Sakura rolled her eyes and pulled herself out of the man's grasp.

"First off, he's not a gaki. Second, we just made out. Nothing serious," she stated in a sassy tone. With a frustrated grunt Touya turned around and smacked the small television he smuggled into their room, making it topple off its throne. "He had a stash, I wasn't gonna pass that up." Touya's head twisted quickly toward his sister. With a deadly look on his face, he marched up to his baby sister and grabbed her arm. With a startled cry, Sakura struggled to get free but he wouldn't let her.

"Marijuana, Sakura? I thought you were gonna stop that shit! Why the fuck do you treat your life like it's nothing? You treat yourself like shit! Just how many ounces did you smoke if you were out there for a few hours? And I'm not going to fucking believe you two didn't do shit if you both were high and you went to one of his dick friend's house all night!" Touya yelled in her face. Sakura stood gaping at him, a shocked look on her face.

"Excuse me? Since when do you fucking care?" She tugged her arm out of his grip, ignoring the pain of the mark left on her forearm. "In case you've forgotten, you're the one that got me so fucking addicted! You gave me my first hard fucking alcohol and you're the one who had all the shitty friends who tried everything in their power to get in my fucking pants!" Sakura shouted. She spun around and tackled her dresser, pulling out the first clothes she grabbed. Touya stood gaping at her, not sure whether or not he would hit her.

"And last I checked," Sakura added, "no one has ever been around to tell me no anyway." She sauntered out of the room, slamming the door behind her. With the disgusting taste of anguish and defeat in his mouth, Touya plopped down on Sakura's bed and listened as she turned the shower on down the hall.

"Fucking bitch," he muttered. With a sigh, he grabbed the keys to his mother's car off the floor and left the house.

Syaoran Li and his cousin Meilin sat in the front seats of a forest green convertible, Syaoran's hands resting carelessly on the wheel at a stoplight. Tomoyo sat in the backseat of the car with Eriol as her footrest, texting and enjoying the ride.

"Oi, dear cousin, where we goin'?" Eriol shouted, bored out of his mind. Twitching, Syaoran spun around and smacked the boy, his glasses practically flying off his face.

"Fuck if I know, you three were the ones who decided to drag me out of bed," the handsome young man yelled back. Meilin rolled her eyes as she glared at the red light, willing it to turn green.

"Let's just get some lunch. There's a new restaurant in town-" Meilin cut herself off as a young man with tousled brown hair parked his car next to theirs. "Well, hello," she said, mostly to herself, as she ran her fingers through her hair, checking the boy out. Hearing her, the young man turned toward her and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" he chuckled, noticing the exasperated look Syaoran gave the girl. He really wondered what caught her eye, just seeing the kind of car she was a passenger in. His beat up old white Sedan didn't even compare.

"Haven't seen you around," Meilin smiled coyly. "You know where the Grind is?" she leaned back, purposefully puffing her chest out. The young man noticed this and smirked, amused.

"Yeah, I do," he responded simply. Meilin noticed the other street light turning yellow in the corner of her eye, and spoke quickly.

"Hope to see you there, then," she smiled and waved at him as Syaoran drove off, the young man not far behind. Tomoyo finally allowed herself to laugh as Meilin turned toward a peeved Syaoran. "Go to the Grind! The Grind!" Meilin begged desperately. Syaoran let out an annoyed groan as he took a sharp left, causing the cars in the way to honk repeatedly at him. Meilin looked around as subtly as she could, looking for the old white car.

"Over there," Tomoyo giggled as she tapped Meilin's shoulder and pointed, sitting on the edge of the car to get out. Noticing Syaoran and Eriol already opening the door to the Café, Tomoyo chased after them. Meilin, flipping her hair over her shoulder, sauntered over the young man from the stop light. Smirking, the young man took her hand and kissed it, causing the girl to blush slightly.

"Touya," he said. His smile charmed her, but Meilin did well to cover it up. "And you are?"

"Meilin Li, pleased to meet you," she batted her eyelashes. Touya noticed how well her long black hair framed her tall yet curvy stature.

"Well, may I buy you lunch?" Touya asked as he held out his arm for her, offering a sexy half smile. Meilin happily took his arm and he led her into the Café. Sneaking a smile to her friends as the couple walked in, Meilin decided to strike up a conversation with her lunch date.

"So, Touya, are you new to Tomoeda?" Meilin asked after they ordered and sat. Their table was tucked into a corner of the café, the walls being windows.

"Yeah, actually, I am. I moved here with my mom and younger sister," Touya answered as he ate a fry. "How old are you, exactly?" Meilin blushed at this, not sure whether to take the question as a compliment or an insult.

"I'm seventeen," she answered, picking at her salad. "And you?"

"Nineteen," Touya seemed more interested in his food, which seriously annoyed Meilin.

"So, you're graduated from high school?"

"Nah, got held back a year. I'm a senior this year. Auditioning for AFA," Touya explained, already finishing off his hamburger. Meilin brightened at this, clasping her hands together.

"Really? That's where I go! I'm in actor training, what about you?" Meilin took a small bite of her salad, wincing as Touya raised his eyebrow at that.

"Music, I play guitar while my little sister sings. But she's auditioning for Musical Theatre," Touya got a thoughtful look on his face when he started talking about his younger sister, which intrigued Meilin. "Actually, she's a junior this year. Just turned sixteen."

"Just turned sixteen? But that would make her a sophomore," Meilin stated, confused. She took a bigger bite of food, relieved that it caused Touya to stop observing her eating habits.

"Yeah, she skipped a grade. She's a genius," he chuckled. "It's really a shame she throws away all her opportunities so easily." He quieted at this, making Meilin more interested. Thinking about it for a second, Meilin smiled. Perhaps if she led the conversation to his sister, he'd appreciate her interest in his interests… and be interested in her.

"Really? She sounds kind of interesting… could you tell me more about her?" Meilin put her training into use, really not caring about his sister. She focused on the muscles beneath his shirt and the way his mouth moved instead. Smiling, he answered with pleasure.

"Well, her name is Sakura. She kind of hates her name, though, because she's named after our mother's favorite flower. Before things kind of fell apart, Sakura was actually involved in a lot of things. She's a dancer, cheerleader, singer, actress," he chuckled. "You have no idea how many times that got her out of trouble." Smiling at Meilin, but with a far off look in his eyes, he finished his food. Meilin, only half way done, tried her best to keep the conversation going.

"Really? Seems I might have a few things in common with her," she smiled. Touya's eyes showed a peaked interest in Meilin, exciting her. Looking at the watch latched on to his wrist, however, expelled that.

"Well, I gotta run. Think I could have your number?" Touya smirked as he laid down some money on the table. Smiling, Meilin nodded and fished a pen out of her purse, writing her cell phone number on a piece of paper. Nodding with a smile and kissing Meilin's hand goodbye, Touya strutted out of the restaurant and left, paper in hand. Giddy with pleasure, Meilin skipped her way to her friends' table. Being the only one not talking, Tomoyo laughed at Meilin's expression.

"Looks like you clicked," Tomoyo stated. With a smile, Meilin snatched a fry off of Syaoran's plate, earning a death glare.

"I'm thinking we should get stuck at red lights more often," she replied, munching on the salty treat.

"What the hell do you mean 'we?'" Syaoran rolled his eyes and scooted his plate away from her. "Couldn't you get your own fries?" he complained. Meilin pouted.

"I could never get something like that on a date! A salad says I'm healthy but I still enjoy a nice meal," she smiled. Tomoyo rolled her eyes and Syaoran snorted.

"I don't think a salad counts as a meal, Meilin," Eriol laughed. Frowning, Meilin grabbed a handful of fries from his plate, causing an outburst from Eriol and a laughing Tomoyo.

Later that night, Touya and Sakura found themselves chilling out on the floor of their dim room. Strumming a few chords on his guitar, Touya closed his eyes and just relaxed as the two heard the front door open and loud footsteps.

"I'm sorry about this morning," Sakura muttered. When Touya didn't respond, she continued. "You know I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You learned the hard way how life works and you don't want me going through the same things," she took a deep breath. She drummed her fingers on the notebook in her lap, an unfinished song waiting. "But I have to experience everything myself… I need my own outlets, my own life," she complained. Sighing, Touya looked up, ignoring the noise outside their bedroom.

"Sakura, you saw what the shit you've been doing has done to me. This is my fifth year in high school," he said all this while he continued strumming his guitar. "You have the ability to do amazing things!" he finally looked at her.

"But how am I supposed to know exactly what I wanna do if I don't go through with whatever comes my way?" she responded quietly. Writing another line down on her notebook, she listened to Touya's playing. "Go a step higher…" she muttered. Hearing her, Touya did so. With a sudden crash, a wave of curses came from somewhere else in the house. Yells erupted, a bottle crashed to the floor. None of this fazed the two teenagers as they drowned themselves in the music. With a deep breath, Sakura read from her notebook.

"Breakin' in,

Breakin' out,

It's all the same,

It's what life's about."

Sakura's voice filled the room, starting off quietly as she allowed her mind to register the unfamiliar words. Patting her thigh gently, she signaled for Touya to slow down, who did.

"And I hope,

Once again,

You won't be bitter,

You won't sin.

And I'll hold it in,

And I'll be free.

Without, that voice,

Screaming."

Sakura said this louder, hoping to catch the attention of the angry adults outside the teenagers' room.

"If you keep, holdin' on,

Breathing,

Good will will guide you,

God won't deny you."

The voices quieted down as Sakura sang louder, trying to drown out all the noises outside her and her brother's world. A tear crept down the young woman's cheek, dripping off her face and onto the page that held the song. Without noticing, Sakura kept going.

"Hold on,

Count down,

Deep breaths, keep breathing,

No one can stop your flyin'."

A male voice yelled out from the living room, soon shushed by a slap. With a yell of frustration, Clow fled from the house, slamming the door behind him. Sakura knew this and more tears escaped.

"Breakin' in,

Breakin' out,

It's all the same,

It's what life's about."

Sakura could imagine her mother's crumpled form on the floor, shaking slightly.

"Quit livin' in the past,

And breakin' down,

Denying the reasons

You're so down."

Sakura stopped there, closing her eyes slowly. Touya watched her with an amazing intensity, knowing that's as far as she had gotten. Continuing to play, Touya's heart ached as he listened to his younger sister cry, knowing that stopping to comfort her would only make it worse.


	5. Chapter 5

If anyone is offended by anything in this chapter, I can't help that. I rated this story M for Mature. That means Mature audiences only and anything vulgar or offensive is to be expected. Also, I would enjoy reviews. Very much. I probably won't update for a LONG time if I don't get any reviews. Because, honestly, I have better things to do than update a story I don't know if anyone is reading.

* * *

Life Defeats Its Purpose

Chapter Five

Sakura stood nervously in the middle of the stage. Light pink and yellow lights blinded her as she took her position. Giving a queue off to the side, her music started. A mixture of classical and R&B music filled the auditorium as she started dancing. To the untrained eye, she looked simply beautiful. But Sakura flinched every time her arms made a jerky movement or her posture wasn't correct. She didn't know what in the world was happening. She knew this routine like the back of her hand. The young woman never got nervous when performing. So what was it? She tried not to think. Her first leap came. As she bent her knees and sprung into the air, Sakura saw the silhouettes of three regal figures. When she landed, the auburn haired beauty lost her balance for only a fraction of a second. But that seemed to be enough.

"Stop!" the music stopped abruptly and Sakura stumbled back. The figure on the left stood slowly and made its way toward Sakura. Climbing the stairs to the stage, a strict looking woman with a tight bun studied Sakura. Trying not to fidget, Sakura bowed deeply.

"Yes, Miss?" she inquired. The regal woman said nothing for a few moments, simply looking Sakura up and down.

"You are very beautiful, are you aware of that?" she spoke to Sakura. With a blush, Sakura could only say thank you.

"I can feel the air of dignity about you," the woman continued. "So much potential… but so much holding you back. There is a storm in your eyes." Sakura stared up at the woman, unsure of what to do or say. "Listen closely, child," the woman took Sakura's chin, surprisingly gently, and had the girl look into her eyes. "Do not split the water. Make the water split for you." With that said the woman left Sakura and took her seat again. Unsure of what to do, Sakura stood there, feeling like a dimwit. Sakura then heard two loud claps, the same signal she heard before she began her first performance. Slowly, Sakura took her stance once again and queued the music. Thinking of what the woman had told her, Sakura took a deep, deliberate breath.

Letting the music sooth her, Sakura went through the motions of her dance with a newfound strength. Whipping around into a spin, Sakura inwardly cringed. Too fast. Taking the next steps slower to get back on beat, Sakura breathed slowly. Her movements went on without fault. When the leap came, Sakura didn't think about it. Landing before her mind could process the jump, Sakura slipped right into a left split, throwing her arms back into a fluid back walkover. Using the woman in the audience as a spot, Sakura finished with a series of twirls and ended on one knee, with the other leg straightened to her side. Panting slightly, Sakura stayed in that position a moment longer then stood. The door on the far right of the stage opened, signaling that her time in front of the judges was over. With a deep curtsy, Sakura left the stage.

* * *

"Well, if you're auditioning for something that requires more than one specific talent, you just pick the one you're best at. The only problem with it is that they judge you more harshly, because you're only showing them one area of expertise," Tomoyo explained diligently to Touya as Sakura jogged up to the group of teenagers.

"Hey!" she greeted with a smile. Touya smiled back and patted her on the back.

"How'd you do?" he asked. Tomoyo, along with two other teenage girls Sakura had recently met, looked at her expectantly.

"Well…" she thought about her answer. "It definitely wasn't what I expected." Tomoyo gave her a questioning gaze and she continued. "Well, the judges gave me two tries." Shocked, the other three teenage girls looked to each other confusedly as Touya congratulated her.

"What do you mean 'two tries'? This school is the top of the line, there's no way any teacher here would do that!" the girl Sakura came to know as Chiharu exclaimed. Unsure of herself, Sakura further explained herself.

"Well, this tall strict lady with her hair in a tight bun talked to me after my first run through. Then she signaled for me to go again." Tomoyo tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Was her hair red? And did she look young with lots of freckles?" she questioned. Nodding, Sakura replied with an enthusiastic yes.

"That explains it!" the last girl, Rika, complied. "Kaho Mizuki. She always did have an eye for talent, hasn't she?" Tomoyo and Chiharu nodded. "She always does the casting for our plays and such. She's the reason we win so often!" Rika smiled.

Over the course of three weeks, Sakura had a boyfriend and Touya already had a girl chasing after him (someone he refused to give Sakura information on). Tomoyo, completely taken with Sakura, had immediately made the young woman feel comfortable in the city and introduced her to Rika and Chiharu, who also loved Sakura.

As the teenage girls chatted with a bored Touya nearby, the crowd in the school started to thin out, as only auditions for the last class, Music, was left. With half an hour till his audition, Touya took out his guitar and started tuning.

"How long have you played guitar, Touya?" Tomoyo asked, being her usual friendly self. Touya took a moment to think, as Sakura leaned against the wall next to him.

"More than ten years," Touya answered, shrugging.

"Wow, you must be really good, then!" Chiharu exclaimed. Sakura laughed and nodded.

"Trust me, he is. But don't let him know too often, he'll get a big head," she warned. Glaring at his younger sister, Touya set his guitar back in its case, leaving it open.

"Well, dad was a good teacher and musician himself. I had to inherit something other than my good looks," he winked at Chiharu, who giggled along with Rika. Tomoyo and Sakura both rolled their eyes, as Tomoyo had gotten very close to the siblings in the past few weeks.

"I would definitely have to agree," a new voice butted in. Biting his lip, Touya slowly turned to face the newcomers.

"Meilin, pleasant surprise," he gave her a charming smile. Smiling back, Meilin flipped her black hair over her shoulder, smacking an annoyed Syaoran in the face. Eriol, who had seen this, took a moment to laugh at the young man before greeting Tomoyo.

"Tomoyo, beautiful as always," he gave the gorgeous girl a peck on the hand. Sakura, intrigued by the newcomer and Tomoyo's lack of mentioning him, decided to tease her about it later.

"Always a pleasure, Eriol," Tomoyo snatched her hand back and smiled teasingly at him as he pouted. Rolling his eyes, Syaoran slapped the blue haired boy on the back.

"Get over yourself, man," he advised. Punching Syaoran's shoulder, Eriol greeted Rika and Chiharu.

"Don't forget our darling Sakura," Tomoyo beamed at the auburn haired beauty, whose face had turned to a scowl. Laughing, Eriol took Sakura's hand and kissed it.

"Pleasure," he grinned. "I am Eriol Hiiragizawa and my angry companion is Syaoran Li." Sakura said a polite hello as her eyes traveled over to Meilin, who had done nothing but flirt with her brother since her arrival. Laughing, Eriol noticed her gaze. "And that is our cousin Meilin Li!" Eriol nearly yelled in order to get the curvy brunette's attention. With a huff, Meilin faced them.

"Yes?" she demanded. Touya took this moment to scoot away and stand next to Sakura.

"Don't be so rude, Meilin!" Eriol grinned. "Not only have you ignored this lovely newcomer, but you've also been giving Touya here suicidal thoughts." Syaoran laughed at this, causing Sakura to look him over. Noting the messy brown hair and amber eyes, Sakura almost didn't notice his enchanting laugh. But the familiarity of the boy bothered her. Eye brows furrowed together, Sakura thought hard about where she had seen this boy. A magazine? Surely he had the looks, but she would have recognized the name. Someone Tomoyo introduced her to? Not that she could remember, and Sakura knew just from this one meeting that this boy was unforgettable.

"The guy from the bar!" Sakura randomly exclaimed, making the other teenagers stop their conversations to stare at her.

"Excuse me?" Syaoran asked in a deep voice, noticing that she was looking at him. Blushing slightly, Sakura fidgeted under everyone's gaze.

"Well," she mumbled. "Tomoyo said when I saw her at the bar it was one of her friends that bought me the drink…" she trailed off, glancing at Touya, whose face had turned into a glare at the remembrance of that night.

"Oh, yeah," Syaoran said blankly. Eriol laughed at the irony.

"You are the newbies we saw at the bar, aren't you?" he asked Sakura and Touya. Nodding, Sakura then remembered an earlier statement.

"Wait, how do you guys know Touya?" she asked, feeling out of the loop. Syaoran decided to answer this one.

"The annoying girl flirting with him," he told her, making Sakura feel stupid.

"Oh, of course," she grumbled and Tomoyo laughed. Patting her arm reassuringly, she let Sakura know this was Syaoran on a good day.

"Touya is Sakura's older brother," Chiharu informed, checking the older man out. Rika nodded.

"Oh, that explains why you two look so much alike," Eriol said. Sakura nodded. The conversation continued with Sakura getting better acquainted with Tomoyo's other friends. Not too soon after the conversation started, however, Yamazaki decided to make a rather loud entrance.

"My homies!" Yamazaki slammed the school door open, causing a new eruption of different excitement. Eriol and Syaoran greeted him like a good friend while Sakura kissed him hello, shocking everyone except Touya and Tomoyo, who couldn't help but glare daggers at the carefree idiot.

"Hey babe," Yamazaki grinned as he kissed her back and slipped his arm around her waist. "Tomoyo," he grinned at the glowering designer, knowing she would do nothing as long as he was dating Sakura.

"Babe?" Eriol asked, being just as confused as everyone else out of the loop.

"Yes, jackasses have a way of tainting innocent lives," Tomoyo announced bitterly. Eriol, confused, didn't know how to respond.

"Tomoyo!" Sakura retorted, looking at her friend with puppy dog eyes and a frown. Sighing, Tomoyo grumbled something to the effect of an apology and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall next to Eriol.

"Yamazaki actually got a girl?" Syaoran asked. Eriol laughed, agreeing with the statement. Sakura glared at the Li, who only raised his eye brows in return. Touya, who wouldn't take his eyes off of Yamazaki and Sakura, glanced at the two other boys.

"One worth keeping, at that," the protective brother growled. Smirking, Syaoran stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I dunno," he started. He looked Sakura up and down, exaggerating his movements. "White trash doesn't suit me." He ended cruelly. Hurt, Sakura could do nothing but glare at him, her mouth hanging open. Stepping around the couple, Touya got in Syaoran's face.

"Excuse me?" he growled dangerously. Syaoran, being thoroughly entertained, couldn't find it in himself to stop.

"Poverty can only find poverty, am I right?" he smirked as Yamazaki frowned at him. In a swift motion, Syaoran was then on the ground, clutching his nose. Eriol stood back and let this happen, shaking his head at Syaoran's remarks.

"You wanna fucking say that again, gaki?" Touya yelled, catching the attention of the entire hall.

"Touya!" Sakura stepped away from Yamazaki, who immediately pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her. Syaoran slowly stood, flinching as he felt his nose.

"Damn," he looked at the blood on his hand. "Sensitive guy, aren't ya?" Syaoran inquired. "I honestly didn't take you for a pussy," he laughed. Touya seethed, using every fiber in his being to hold himself back. Rika and Chiharu, who had quieted and went off by themselves the moment Yamazaki arrived, ran off to find some sort of mediator.

"Why don't you shut the fuck up before I do it for you, gaki?" Touya threatened. Syaoran frowned slightly, trying to stop the blood falling from his nose.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Syaoran demanded. "I doubt shoving your cock in my mouth would do, probably not big enough for even Meilin to feel," he laughed, throwing an insult at Meilin, who looked to have taken Touya's side, standing behind him with her arms crossed.

"What the fuck?" Touya was slow to catch up. Laughing rather painfully due to his nose, Syaoran let his bloody hand drop.

"You're obviously gay," he insisted. Sakura, who was enraged by the insult toward her brother, flew from Yamazaki's arms and punched the tall brunette herself. With a grunt, Syaoran stepped back as his jaw was met with her small fist. Hurting, but determined not to show it, Syaoran grabbed Sakura's fist and pulled her closer.

"Sissy brother and manly sister, eh?" Syaoran laughed. Clenching her jaw, Sakura's was about to tackle him when Kaho Mizuki rushed toward them.

"Goodness, what in the world is going on here?" she demanded. Syaoran immediately let go of Sakura as she stepped back, standing between Touya and Yamazaki. Mizuki waited impatiently as she waited for an answer, looking at those who were guilty. "I will not ask again!" Still no response.

"I believe I could help, Ms. Mizuki," Eriol spoke up after a few more moments, having witnessed the entire thing. Trusting Eriol completely, Mizuki nodded. Syaoran glared at him.

"You know very well how much of a jackass Syaoran can be," Eriol began very bluntly. Ignoring his language, Ms. Mizuki nodded for him to continue. "He provoked these three here. Yamazaki didn't make any violent moves, as he is used to Syaoran's form of… well, we'll call it teasing. But these two, Sakura and Touya," Eriol pointed to each as he mentioned their names. Mizuki nodded as he did so. "These two are newcomers and I must say, Syaoran here was out of line," he finished. Kaho processed this information, surveying the teenagers. Seeing Syaoran's broken nose and bruised jaw, she came to a conclusion.

"Well, I honestly do not know exactly what to do. Obviously, Mr. Li has been punished for his actions," she held up her hand as Sakura moved to protest. "For the most part. And you and your brother should not have reacted violently," she glared at the siblings, who stubbornly glared back, but not nearly as fiercely. "Touya," she turned to the young man. "Kinomoto, I would presume?" she asked, using Sakura's surname. Nodding, Touya said nothing. "You are no longer able to audition for the Academy of Fine Arts." Touya's mouth moved to form words, but nothing happened. Sakura, shocked and hurt, could only stare at the woman she once thought of as reasonable.

"And Sakura," she turned to the shocked girl, who was doing everything in her power to not scream and cry. "Since you have already been accepted into AFA, you will be restricted from all extracurricular activities for the entire first quarter of school, along with staying after school every Friday for cleanup duties," Mizuki inflicted the punishment. "And Syaoran will receive the same punishment." The entire hall was quiet, having heard the entire thing. With a sigh, Kaho Mizuki looked sympathetically toward Touya then turned toward the other students in the hall. "Well get on with your lives!" She clicked off in her heels.

Touya was breathing heavily, angry at himself and the gaki who provoked the entire situation. But instead of turning to yell at Syaoran, Touya sent a death glare to Yamazaki.

"You," he said the word bitterly. Sakura stared at her brother with glossy eyes, wondering what he was doing. "If _you_ didn't have this little reputation you convinced Sakura to ignore, none of this would have happened," he growled. Yamazaki, scared for his life, took a step back.

"Me? Have you forgotten whose nose you just broke?" Yamazaki argued. Syaoran shrugged as Meilin was looking at his wounds, figuring she should stay on the good side of the cousin she shared a house with. Eriol stood in the background, and Tomoyo, glaring at everyone except Sakura, wrapped her arms around the broken beauty. Touya grabbed the front of Yamazaki's shirt.

"You!" he yelled, then caught himself, speaking in almost a whisper. "The only reason I'm here right now is because my sister's life is filled with _shit_ like you, and I can't take her away." Touya's eyes were burning with fury. "But you enjoy it, don't you?" he muttered. Yamazaki narrowed his eyes.

"Enjoy it?" he questioned.

"All your fucking rich ass friends! That douche did this because you _let_ him talk to you like that, don't you? And you wouldn't have done anything to stop him if it had only been Sakura and not me!" he shoved Yamazaki violently. Sakura ran up to the angry man, grabbing his arm.

"Touya, stop it!" she begged. Yamazaki landed on the floor. Touya looked at Sakura, who looked thoroughly crushed. "Let's just leave," she whispered, looking down. Taking a moment to glare at the poor fool on the ground, Touya nodded and turned around, headed for the parking lot. Sakura was still latched to his arm, not looking back. Tomoyo, looking at the group apologetically before running off, went home with Sakura and Touya.

* * *

"What the hell happened back there, Xiao Lang?" Meilin demanded as she stood threateningly in front of Syaoran. He merely glared at her and attempted to look past her at the television. "That was completely uncalled for! Yamazaki I can understand because of the complicated relationship you two have, but complete strangers! My God, you've lost it!" she exclaimed. Glaring at her, Syaoran used his foot to nudge her out of his line of sight to the television.

"I don't know, okay? I started and couldn't stop," he insisted. Eriol, who was lounging on Syaoran's bed, rolled his eyes and whipped his phone out of his pocket. Giving a frustrated grunt, Meilin stomped out of the room, probably heading to the kitchen then her own bedroom.

"I agree with Meilin," Eriol pointed out. Swerving his head around to give Eriol a deadpan look, Syaoran gave a strong message with his eyes to Eriol, which said _leave_. Shrugging, Eriol obediently left, choosing to relax in the den. Hearing and feeling his phone vibrate in his hand, Eriol read the new text message he received from Tomoyo.

_Touya is still pissed but Sakura stopping cryin. In their room just hangin out._

Eriol hit reply and started typing his own text.

_Syao is completely PMSing. Idk what his deal is. It isn't like him to fight strangers that didn't do ne thing to him._

Eriol frowned as he hit send, thinking about this. Everyone knew Syaoran was a psychotic mystery when it came to many things, but he thought he knew Syaoran pretty well when it came to stuff like this.

_Touya is smart, he doesn't seem like the type 2 lose his temper over something like that, even over Sakura. Pretty sure Syao hit a soft spot (obviously) but idk how. Saku is hard 2 crack, I kno barely ne thing about either of them, _Tomoyo replied. Eriol thought about this a moment, stroking his chin. He didn't think there was anything suspicious about the Kinomotos, but Eriol was pretty sure they must have dealt with teasing and ridicule in their last town if Syaoran pointed it out to them.

_U think Syao knows about Yamazaki? _Eriol replied quickly, realizing he left Tomoyo hanging.

_Doubt it. If he did Yamazaki would b In the hospital right now. And he also took a liking to saku at the bar, remember? I'm pretty sure he wasn't that drunk. _What Tomoyo pointed out completely threw Eriol off. Not wanting to think about the twisted mind of his dear cousin, however, Eriol put it off.

_I don't think it matters much, ne way. Syao is goin thru a lot ;_) Eriol concluded. Tomoyo replied with a '_whatever'_ and Eriol considered the conversation done. Sighing, he threw his phone on the seat next to him and leaned back with his hands behind his head. Syaoran's problems weren't something he enjoyed thinking about.


	6. Chapter 6

In a way, this is a filler chapter. But you still have to read it so you aren't lost in the future.

* * *

Chapter Six

_Ring!_

Sakura took a deep breath as she sadly waved goodbye to Touya, who dropped her off at the Academy of Fine Arts charter school before heading to the local public school. Then, spinning around to face the large building, she walked confidently toward the front doors, schedule in hand.

"First period, math…" she frowned, thoroughly disappointed.

"Sakura!" a very familiar male voice called out to her. Smiling brightly, she turned to her right and caught Yamazaki's eye. He dressed up for the first day of school, like she had, wearing a blue button up shirt with the sleeves folded to his elbows.

"Well, don't you look handsome," Sakura smiled as she hugged him hello. He grinned in return and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"And I told you you would look gorgeous in a dress," he complimented her light pink and black mini dress. She giggled and kissed him back.

"What do you have first today?" she asked as she leaned against her boyfriend. Yamazaki rested his hand on her hip as he took a crinkled piece of paper out of his front pocket. Smoothing it out, he recited his days' schedule.

"First LA, second guitar, third calc, fourth choir, a make out period with my girl," he winked at her as he changed the name of lunch and Sakura smacked him playfully, blushing slightly at his antics.

"And the rest of the day?" she inquired, not bothering to correct or scold the boy.

"History, social dance, economics, and physics," he finished with a grin. Sakura regarded him with her mouth open.

"Physics?" she whined. "I'm only in chemistry." Yamazaki laughed.

"Calculus, too," he informed her. Piquing her interest, Sakura faced him.

"You're good at math?" she inquired. Looking at her curiously, Yamazaki answered.

"Yeah, almost as good as Syaoran." Frowning a bit at the mention of the bastard boy, Sakura quickly brushed it off and smiled flirtatiously at Yamazaki.

"Wanna be my tutor?" she asked sweetly. Yamazaki laughed.

"Why? Are you that bad?" Sakura pouted.

"Only in math, Yama-kun," she smiled at the nickname, as did he. "I'm not even taking history this year; I have all of those credits."

"Really?" Eriol entered. "Something we have in common, I have all my math credits. So no math classes my senior year," he grinned. Sakura groaned in jealousy.

"You, Yama, _and_ that bastard? Don't tell me Tomoyo-chan is included in your little club," Sakura questioned.

"And who?" Eriol asked, not knowing she was referring to Syaoran.

"Syao-" Sakura started but Tomoyo, however, walked up with Syaoran behind her at that moment. "No one," she bit her lip as Tomoyo greeted her brightly after sending a text on her phone. Yamazaki raised an eyebrow.

"Still text this early in the morning?" he asked. When Tomoyo ignored him, Yamazaki addressed Syaoran. "So now that I'm out of the picture, you're her chauffer?" Syaoran grinned as the two boys clasped hands, all happenings of the audition day forgotten. Sakura shifted uncomfortably as Syaoran looked her up and down.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, lemme see your schedule!" Tomoyo squealed as she grabbed the group's attention. Snatching the piece of paper out of Sakura's hands the young girl examined it with a fierce concentration.

"We have… math and choir together!" she shouted gleefully. Sakura grinned as her earlier question was answered: Tomoyo wasn't a math genius like the rest of them. "Do all of us have choir together again this year?" Tomoyo addressed everyone. Yamazaki and Syaoran murmured a yes but Eriol shook his head.

"I decided to drop that this year. Not like I'm any good, anyway," he grinned at Tomoyo's pouty face. "I took up another drama class. But don't worry, I'll cheer you on at all the concerts." Eriol winked at Tomoyo, making Sakura laugh as she remembered a conversation she had with Tomoyo earlier that week in her room.

"_So, Tomoyo, I've been meaning to ask…" Sakura started. Tomoyo, who was lounging on Touya's bed across from Sakura, leaned forward._

"_Yeah?" she urged with a grin._

"_What's up with you and Eriol?" Sakura smiled slyly. Tomoyo drew back and blushed, almost confirming Sakura's suspicions._

"_W-well…" Sakura's smile broadened as she leaped off her bed and knelt in front of her new best friend. _

"_What is it?" she demanded. Biting her lip, Tomoyo obliged._

"_A little more than a year back, when Eriol first moved here, we were introduced at a party. And, well…" she hesitated. "We hooked up." Sakura stared at the dark haired beauty with her mouth open._

"_Uh…"Sakura tried to start. Tomoyo blushed, not sure what reaction she expected. "I seriously never took you for that kind of girl!" Sakura finally exclaimed. Tomoyo's blush darkened, but so did her eyes._

"_Just what the hell do you mean 'that kind of girl'?" she demanded rather loudly. Sakura, rather used to yelling (along with the knowledge of her mother not being home), didn't react to the noise._

"_You, sleeping with Eriol the first night you meet him?" Sakura explained. Tomoyo sighed._

"_I was drunk!" the young woman started making excuses. "And have you seen him? The guy is gorgeous," Tomoyo pointed out. Sakura had to agree, but she personally thought Yamazaki was much better looking. "And Meilin told me all about him before she introduced us, so I already knew he wasn't a bad guy." Sakura, surprised, looked straight at Tomoyo._

"_Meilin introduced you two?" she asked. Tomoyo shifted uncomfortably._

"_Well, no, Syaoran did," Sakura made a face of disgust and Tomoyo knew there was a chance she would regret even bringing up the boy's name. "Meilin just told me about him. The three of them are cousins," Tomoyo explained. Sakura nodded slowly._

"_Wait, so does Eriol live with the Lis, too?" Sakura asked, knowing about Syaoran and Meilin's sleeping arrangements. _

"_No," Tomoyo grinned. "Eriol moved here with his parents, so he has his own place." Sakura nodded._

"_Okay, but being drunk doesn't change a thing," Sakura said bluntly. Flustered, Tomoyo huffed._

"_Like you haven't done the same thing!" she nearly yelled. Tomoyo then couldn't help but add, "And only one night stands! Not even having anything to do with the guy after the fact." Sakura glared as she stood. _

"_I don't care what _I've _done. I'm saying you just don't seem like that type of girl," she said pointedly. Tomoyo shrugged._

"_Well, I'm not, okay?" Tomoyo made this clear. "That was just a onetime thing." She poked Sakura on her forehead. Sakura sighed._

"_Fine I understand. But just so we're clear," Sakura fixed Tomoyo with a stern gaze. "I'm still a virgin. Those "one night stands" were barely anything to be considered something like that." Tomoyo looked confused at her newfound knowledge of Sakura. Finding out more about the brunette every day, Tomoyo didn't question Sakura's statement._

The group of teenagers heard the bell go off once again, signaling their time to retreat to their selected classes. Sakura turned and gave Yamazaki a kiss goodbye, feeling Syaoran's eyes burning into the back of her head. Ignoring it, she smiled as Tomoyo latched herself onto the brunette.

"Shall we?" Tomoyo asked as she flipped her ebony hair over her shoulder.

"We shall," Sakura momentarily forgot her strong dislike for the subject she was heading to as her and Tomoyo sauntered to class, the rest of the group dispersing behind them.

The day went on slowly, taking a toll on Sakura who was not used to the new schedule after a long summer. In math she had traditionally dozed off, earning her a bad reputation with the teacher and a teasing spell from Tomoyo and Rika, who spent her first period as a teacher's aide to Sakura's math teacher.

When she moved on to second period, a guitar class, she was happy to find Yamazaki in the classroom surrounded by a group of boys. As she waved at the young man he waved rather unenthusiastically back at her then continued speaking with his friends. Frowning, Sakura inched her way to her boyfriend, who hadn't so much as looked at her since his disheartening greeting. Feeling uneasy with the thought of attempting to approach the boy, however, Sakura chose a seat near the front and away from the group of boys. Contrary to this encounter, however, Sakura was overjoyed when she walked into her next class and found Eriol beckoning for her to join him.

"I am so glad you're here," Eriol grinned. Sakura smiled back and agreed. "I don't think I've recognized any of the students who have walked through that door so far." Sakura laughed lightly as she took her seat.

"What are you doing in chemistry? I would have thought you were well past this mediocre class," she teased. Eriol grinned handsomely.

"I have a tendency to blow things up," he explained and Sakura raised her delicate eyebrow. "But other than that, how have you enjoyed school thus far?" he questioned. Sakura frowned slightly. Noticing this, Eriol's looked became worried. "What is it?"

"Yamazaki…" Sakura trailed off, not sure she wanted explain. Eriol, however, frowned in understanding when the name was mentioned.

"What did he do?" he asked Sakura sympathetically. She bit her lip.

"I have second hour, guitar, with him. But he completely ignored me the entire time… I would have walked up and talked to him but he was surrounded by these other guys the entire time," she explained hastily. Eriol's frown deepened and he took her hand comfortingly.

"That's something to be expected of Yamazaki," Eriol explained. Sakura, who had a hint of a blush on her cheeks from his grasping hand, looked at him questioningly. "I'm sure Tomoyo speaks ill of him, doesn't she?" Sakura nodded slowly. "Tomoyo recently became very angry with Yamazaki for reasons unknown, but what she says is true. Just probably a bit over-exaggerated." He grinned sympathetically. "But there are some good things about him, which makes it understandable that you would date him," Eriol finished. Sakura nodded again as she slowly and reluctantly tugged her hand away from the blue haired boy. Realization dawning on him, Eriol quickly snapped his hand away from her. "Sorry, I didn't think that would make you uncomfortable," he apologized. Blushing, Sakura shook her head.

"No, no!" she retorted. "It didn't at all! I mean, it wouldn't. I mean, I have no problem it's just," she stopped as Eriol grinned at her. Grinning back, she said, "It's nothing." He nodded as the teacher began her lecture.

Sakura's next period, choir, helped the girl relax as the director lead the class through a series of warm-ups. The young woman sat next to Tomoyo, who was next to Chiharu, who inconspicuously avoided sitting next to the girl who was dating her ex. Sakura knew of the history but nothing of the tragedy that ended it. Syaoran and Yamazaki, who sat a few seats away on the row behind the girls, often poked and whispered at the girls to annoy them and the teacher.

When lunch came along, Sakura was happy to see that the school's food looked delicious. As she stood in line with all the friends she had from her choir class, her stomach grumbled. Tomoyo giggled and poked her stomach.

"I told you you should eat breakfast," she teased. Sakura stuck her tongue out at the girl.

"I agree," Yamazaki said as he stood close to the auburn haired girl. "I don't want you passing out from lack of food during choir," he grinned. Sakura looked at him. Noticing Eriol approaching the teenagers from the corner of her eye, she addressed Yamazaki.

"And what about in guitar, Yamazaki?" she asked innocently. Yamazaki looked taken aback for a moment. Everyone else, except Eriol, paid the couple no mind as they got their lunches.

"What do you mean?" Yamazaki responded lamely. Sakura stepped slowly away from him as she got her own food, Eriol right next to her.

"I mean," she sounded exasperated, "you completely ignored me the entire time." Yamazaki was silent for a moment, but grabbed her food tray to hold it for her while she paid for her lunch.

"I was sure you would be able to find some friends," Yamazaki grinned. "We all know you're pretty enough." Sakura didn't take the bait, though.

"So you think I would be satisfied with some sort of half-wave?" she argued. The cashier added up the total of Sakura's lunch, which only consisted of an apple, a carton of milk, and half a sandwich, and gave Sakura the total.

"I don't know what you mean," Yamazaki insisted. Eriol stood behind the two in line, listening intently to the conversation. Sakura remained silent though as she fingered her wallet, which she had fished out of her purse while listening to Yamazaki try to right himself. Yamazaki frowned and repeated himself, not sure she heard him.

"I heard you," Sakura said, her voice hard. Eriol butted in.

"Then what is it?" Yamazaki took a brief moment to glare at his friend, but returned his gaze to Sakura to find the answer.

"How much if I took away the sandwich?" Sakura asked the cashier. The older woman looked annoyed as she told Sakura. Biting her lip, Sakura nodded and the cashier took away the sandwich half. Eriol looked confused, knowing the small price to pay for such a lunch, but Yamazaki stopped the cashier.

"No, I'll pay," he insisted. Sakura immediately turned him down.

"No! You've been saving up for a new car for forever!" she complained. Yamazaki grinned wryly.

"Some pocket change won't hurt me," he stated as he paid for her. Unable to stop him, Sakura huffed and marched to the table where the rest of their friends sat.

Throughout the remainder of lunch, Sakura slowly forgave Yamazaki as he treated her like a princess. Eriol sent her disapproving looks as she did this so easily, but she ignored him.

"Syaoran-kun, are you a model again this year?" Tomoyo grinned at the amber eyed boy, who had just taken a bite out of his sandwich. He stared at her as he slowly chewed his food.

"Model?" Sakura couldn't help but ask. She had ended up sitting across from the boy she had come to strongly dislike, with Yamazaki sitting next to her. And as he had been doing since their first meeting, Syaoran repeatedly stared at the young girl, making her thoroughly uncomfortable. Syaoran grunted as he swallowed and answered.

"Yes, but if you claim me as your model again, I don't think I'll be able to survive the class," Syaoran answered. Tomoyo pouted.

"Why not?" she questioned. This put Sakura's question on hold, irritating her. Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"You know well enough. You probably make ten times more the amount of designs than the teacher asks of you… and I'm stuck helping you!" Syaoran complained. He stretched his legs out under the table as he leaned back in his chair. He kicked Sakura's feet in the process, but didn't seem to notice and sent the green eyed girl scooting closer to Yamazaki.

Tomoyo didn't respond, convinced he would still be her model because of the pain he would go through being any other girl's model. Then, turning to face Sakura, Tomoyo explained their predicament.

"I'm in the advanced fashion design class, so we have models assigned to us. Last year I convinced Syaoran to take the elective to be my model!" she grinned at Syaoran's messy hair. "It doesn't hurt to have the school heartthrob making your grade." Sakura thought this over for a second.

"So, like what you do to me out of school, I just don't get anything from it?" Sakura laughed at Tomoyo's immediate frown.

"You get my company and my clothes!" Tomoyo insisted. Syaoran gave Sakura a smirk from across the table.

"You're Tomoyo's new model?" he asked. Sakura nodded uneasily. "Then I guess we'll be spending plenty of time together." Sakura frowned at this but said nothing. As the bell for lunch to end rang, Yamazaki offered to walk Sakura to her next class, LA. As they walked there hand in hand, Sakura noticed Yamazaki walk slightly ahead of her and quicken his pace every time they passed a friend she didn't know. Not questioning it, though, she found that she had this period alone. Hugging Yamazaki goodbye, she found a seat in the back of the classroom. The young woman daydreamed as the teacher droned on about the events that would happen in class that year.

When sixth period came along, Sakura bounded excitedly to class after she received directions from a cute blonde girl she sat next to in LA. Not looking where she was going, however, Sakura nearly slammed into a tall woman with gorgeous red hair on her way through the door.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Sakura quickly apologized. When she met the eyes of who she assumed to be her teacher, she went rigid. "M-Mizuki-sensei…" The teacher nodded with a kind smile.

"Yes, Sakura-san, I am your teacher," she said gently. "But in class I prefer my students to simply call me by my name, Kaho. And I believe you are also in my advanced dance class eighth period, am I right?" Sakura nodded with a smile. "Well, then, I can't wait to see what talent you bring to this class. I believe your boyfriend and your enemy are in the back of the studio waiting for class to begin," Kaho explained as she continued on her way. Sakura frowned as she looked for the boys, her frown deepening when she found them. Yamazaki saw her, and looking from side to side first, waved her over. Syaoran smirked at her, too, as she walked over.

"Hey babe," Yamazaki hugged her and Sakura returned the gesture. Sakura smiled at him but said nothing as he and Syaoran continued their conversation. Sakura zoned out as she observed the class.

She noticed everyone divide into groups as soon as they walked through the door. They all greeted Kaho with a smile and Sakura noted the hint of inexperience in the air as everyone moved around in a joking matter, wondering what they would learn in this class.

"Alright, everybody, sit!" Kaho announced loudly and the class immediately obliged. Sakura ended up sitting between Syaoran and Yamazaki, but barely noticed as class begun. "Who here, other than Sakura, has any experience?" Kaho asked, singling Sakura out. She blushed deeply as students' eyes flickered around the room, looking for her. "No one?" Kaho seemed disappointed, but not at all surprised. "Well, then, we will be starting from the beginning. Sorry Sakura," Kaho looked right at her as she apologized. Sakura shifted uncomfortably as everyone's eyes laid on her.

"We will be learning many types of couples dancing this year, but you will only learn of them as we come to them. Now, I want the boys to line up on this side of the room," Kaho pointed to her left, "and girl on this side," Kaho pointed to her right. The class did so lazily, but Kaho Mizuki's smile never left her face. When everyone was mostly in place, Kaho started counting off the boys and girls. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed.

"So, when I point to a boy and say a girl's name, you two will find yourselves a space on the dance floor and start getting to know each other," Kaho explained. She went on with her instructions, the students dispersing quickly. Sakura twitched nervously as her name wasn't called. Eventually, though, only she, Yamazaki, and Syaoran were left standing. Kaho stood and thought for a moment.

"You two," she pointed at the boys," are Sakura's partners. Sakura, I am entrusting you the responsibility to help these boys learn what I teach, regardless of the extra load," Kaho instructed. Sakura nodded, biting her lip. Yamazaki grinned as he hugged her around the waist and Syaoran kept smirking at her as they found their own place to sit on the floor.

As they spoke, Sakura noticeably paid more attention to Yamazaki and only spoke to Syaoran when he spoke directly to her, which was only twice. Kaho let the partners use the rest of the class period to get to know each other, although most of the students branched off and talked to their friends more than their new partners. When the bell rang for seventh period, the trio stood.

"What do you have next, Saks?" Yamazaki asked as they walked out of the dance studio with Syaoran.

"Drama," Sakura said. Yamazaki frowned as her informed her that they wouldn't have any more classes together, knowing about her advanced dance class.

"That's alright," Syaoran butted in. Sakura twitched slightly as he continued. "I have drama next; I can take care of her." Syaoran winked at Sakura and Yamazaki laughed somewhat nervously.

"Then you can show her where to go. I'll see you guys after school," Yamazaki kissed Sakura's cheek before he left, waving goodbye. Sakura made sure to stay as far away from Syaoran as she could without getting lost in the midst of the student body. When they reached the Black Box*, Sakura immediately took a seat. Syaoran, however, sat right next to her.

"Are you bent on bothering me?" Sakura mumbled rather lamely. Syaoran laughed slightly.

"Not at all, why would you even think such a thing?" he asked as he turned toward the girl, smiling. Sakura forced herself not to stare, noticing his cute dimples and the perfect way his hair fell into his eyes.

"Be-because you've done nothing but stare at me and do these little things just to make me uncomfortable all day!" she stated, rather loudly. She smiled slightly at the students who glanced at them briefly, wondering what was going on.

"Is staring a problem?" Syaoran leaned in close to her. Sakura's refused to move away as she frowned. "You should take it as a compliment." Sakura rolled her eyes at this.

"A compliment? From you?" Sakura mumbled as she turned away. She wanted nothing more than to be rid of the boy who struck her as the devil himself. Syaoran snickered at her lack of a comeback as he waved to a group of girls on the other side of the room, making them giggle like the airheads they probably were.

"Fancy meeting you two here," Eriol appeared again, something Sakura noticed he seemed to do a lot. She turned a tint of red as she smiled brightly at him. He settled into the seat on the other side of Sakura.

"Eriol! So great to see you," Sakura greeted. Syaoran snorted.

"He's more like a plague than a welcomed presence," Syaoran explained. Sakura rolled her eyes at him.

"I love you too, my cute little cousin," Eriol retorted. Syaoran glared at him. Sakura laughed a bit as Eriol got under Syaoran's skin. "Have things been going okay?" Eriol asked, turning serious. Sakura nodded as she was pinned by Eriol's worried gaze. "I don't mean to pry, but any girl should be on her toes around Yamazaki." Sakura said her thanks and assured him everything was alright, ignoring Syaoran's gaze.

The class went by eventfully, full of improv games. Sakura laughed as Eriol used her as his acting partner, Syaoran sitting back and spitting out insults at Eriol. The two ignored him, though. When class was over, Sakura hurriedly made her way back to Kaho's dance studio. Her class was filled with all girls and she made friends quickly, conversing on how nervous they were dancing by themselves in front of Kaho at auditions.

When school was over, Touya was already waiting outside in their mom's silver sedan as Sakura walked out the school doors hand in hand with Yamazaki. Touya glared pointedly at the young man as Sakura sighed and hugged him.

"I better go, don't wanna keep him waiting," Sakura smiled. Yamazaki hugged back and smiled.

"Of course," he chuckled. Looking over Sakura's shoulder, Yamazaki shifted, stepped slightly away from Sakura. Confused, Sakura looked behind her, finding the group of boys Yamazaki was with in their guitar class.

"Okay, what is going on, Yamazaki?" Sakura demanded. She ignored Touya's yelling for her to hurry up as she waiting impatiently for an explanation. "You completely ignore me in guitar because of those boys and then when you saw any of them in the hall or wherever, you started acting weird." Yamazaki scratched the back of his head.

"Look, those guys just can't know we're serious, okay?" Yamazaki explained. Sakura raised her eyebrow.

"And why not?" Sakura's tone was rather harsh.

"It's complicated, okay?" Yamazaki looked at his girlfriend with pleading eyes. "I can explain another time, but not now, okay?" he took her hand and kissed it, the action making Sakura's look soften.

"Fine," she mumbled. She took her hand out of his and turned toward Touya. "But if I'm not satisfied with your story, we're through." Yamazaki opened his mouth to complain but Sakura had already seated herself in the car and slammed the door shut. Driving off, Touya made sure to send Yamazaki plenty of silent threats.

* * *

*Black Box: The Black Box is generally the drama room in most schools with the floor, walls, and ceiling all painted black with black curtains.


	7. Chapter 7

Yes! Finally, an update! I totally have a good reason for the delay, though. Between school, cheer, tumbling, homework, driver's ed, a social life, volleyball, and church activities, I shocked myself by finishing this. The next update will be for Gypsy, though, and then I'll update this story again. So if you like my writing, read my other stories. [: Moving on, though, this chapter isn't much but it's an update and it's getting the story moving.

Life Defeats Its Purpose

Chapter Seven

Sakura grumbled angrily as the room's curtains were thrown open and the light from the setting sun streamed into her room.

"Sakura-chan, get your ass out of bed! What teenager takes a nap after school?" a voice called from outside the sleeping girl's blankets. She mumbled a short response before settling back in to her pillow. With a frustrated sigh, the voice opened Sakura's dresser drawers and started looking through them. After several minutes, complains could be heard from another voice.

"This is all you have, Sakura-chan? Really, you need to come over more often so I can make you more clothes!" Sakura could imagine the annoying voice picking out the most revealing clothes shoved in those drawers. As inconspicuously as she could, Sakura tightened her blanket around her body.

"Touya really lives in this tiny room with his younger sister? He is so sweet!" another voice squealed, making Sakura cringe. It was Thursday night and although the week had gone by uneventfully, Sakura was worn out. Almost a whole week of school after three months of summer took a toll on the girl's stamina.

"If you hadn't been with us constantly all week, Meilin, I would say the only reason you're here is to see where Touya sleeps," the first voice muttered. Sakura refused to put names to these voices, knowing what would be in store for her if she surrendered.

"The girl was hurting! Anything to help Touya's baby sister," Sakura could hear the second voice grinning.

"Just how shallow can you get?" Tomoyo snapped as she grabbed one of Sakura's legs. Within seconds, Sakura was groaning with pain on the floor next to her bed.

"What do you want?" Sakura snapped angrily. Tomoyo stood above her with her hands on her eyes, eyebrows raised.

"Is that the tone you use with the best friend who's been helping you all week?" Tomoyo demanded. Sakura glared as she stood.

"All you've done is drag me out of bed every morning and force me to go to school. Who the hell would want to be in a class where you're teaching two idiots all day? And there's another class I'm all alone in! And in choir-" Sakura was forced to shut up as clothes were thrown at her face.

"Who's the other idiot you're talking about?" Meilin asked, confused. Rolling her eyes, Tomoyo faced her.

"Really, do you pay attention to anything? You've been with us all week and you're the only one that doesn't know that Sakura hates your cousin!" Tomoyo exclaimed. Meilin frowned.

"Sakura hates Eriol?" she questioned. Tomoyo gave the tall girl an exasperated look and turned to Sakura.

"Get dressed, we're going out!"

* * *

Earlier that week, Sakura sat impatiently on her bed next to Yamazaki. He twiddled his thumbs nervously as he thought about how to start his explanation—the one thing that would save his relationship with Sakura.

"Well?" Sakura snapped. "What the hell is it?" Yamazaki flinched at her tone.

"You know Terada?" he asked her. Sakura nodded, not quite sure what he had to do with how Yamazaki treats her in public. "He goes to the same school as Touya. I used to go there, too," Yamazaki explained. Sakura frowned.

"Terada is twenty," she stated bluntly. Yamazaki grinned a bit.

"Yeah he is. He got held back a few years. He's who I buy my pot from and he's the one who got us all our fake ids," Yamazaki explained. Taking this information into consideration, Sakura didn't let Yamazaki continue yet.

"What in the world does Terada have to do with this?" she questioned. Yamazaki sighed.

"I was getting there. I am seriously in debt to this dude, so he basically takes whatever the hell he wants from me," Yamazaki said. Sakura raised her eyebrow.

"So?" she asked.

"So," Yamazaki went on, "do you know what happened between me and Chiharu?" he asked. Sakura didn't, but she didn't even know if she wanted to. The girl avoided her like the plague, although Sakura was pretty sure Chiharu was trying to do it without her noticing. Then there was the deal with Chiharu and Rika. Rumor had it they hated each other before Sakura and Yamazaki started going out, then they were acting like best friends again. Sakura originally thought it was just some weird teenage hormones going on, but Tomoyo thought differently.

"No, I don't," she mumbled. Yamazaki took Sakura's hand, and even though she tried, she couldn't pull away.

"Rika was dating Terada and I was dating Chiharu. Chi and I were chilling at Terada's house one night. When I went to get a few beers from the kitchen, Terada followed me. He started talking about all this shit he wanted to do to Chiharu," he frowned. "I wasn't exactly in a place to ask him to stop, so I let him go on, hoping Chiharu wouldn't hear any of it. But when I tried walking back to the living room, Terada stopped me and told me to let him have her," Yamazaki seemed to be finished.

"And you let him?" Sakura demanded, appalled.

"Well, yeah, of course I did," Yamazaki stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And why would Chiharu let him?" Sakura stood to get farther from Yamazaki.

"She didn't," Yamazaki said simply. He avoided her eyes. Sakura was disgusted beyond belief. She glared daggers at him.

"You would really let Terada fuck your girlfriend if he just asked? Without doing a thing? What kind of guy does either of those things? I mean, Chiharu wasn't even willing, that means," Sakura paused as realization struck her. "Oh my God…" Sakura stared at Yamazaki. Desperate, he stood in front of her and took her hands in his.

"This is why I don't want anyone to know how close we are, babe," he tried explaining. "If Terada knew we were together, he would want you." Sakura glared at him.

"That didn't seem to be a problem when you took me to his place," she pointed out.

"Well, we weren't dating then," Yamazaki stated. Sakura gaped at him.

"Are you saying you wouldn't have given a shit if Terada raped me before we officially started going out?" Sakura bit out, yanking her hands away from him.

"Babe, that isn't the case now," Yamazaki whined. "That's in the past! I'm trying to protect you now," he begged. Sakura spun around and stomped out the door and down the hall, Yamazaki hot on her trail. Nadeshiko sat on the couch in the living room watching TV.

"Hey kids, how are things?" she grinned stupidly. Sakura ignored her as she slammed the door open and stood next to it.

"Out," her voice was deadly serious. Yamazaki's mouth hung open, not sure what to say or do.

"Babe," he started, but Sakura cut him off.

"_No._ Do not call me that! I don't fucking know what you could have done to cause this, but it's obviously pretty fucking serious!" she was yelling now and Nadeshiko sat staring at the couple, her mouth hanging open. "Now," she said as calmly as she could. Yamazaki looked like a beat puppy. "_Get out_." Nodding slowly, Yamazaki slowly walked out the door. Before he could turn back to say anything more, Sakura slammed the door closed.

"Sakura, what in the world was that about?" Nadeshiko demanded. Glaring at her mother, Sakura said nothing and stomped down the hall to her room, tears streaming down her face.

Later that night, Touya came home from work to find Sakura huddled under her blanket with puffy red eyes and a tear stained face. Immediately knowing what happened, he sat on the edge of her bed and pulled his little sister into his arms, letting her bury her face in his shoulder. Brushing her hair out of her face and rubbing her back soothingly, he said nothing as Sakura cried.

* * *

Syaoran glared at the young man standing in front of him, blocking the television.

"What do you want?" he demanded. Eriol scratched his chin and observed Syaoran for a moment more.

"You're such a couch potato. How is it you're in the run for valedictorian?" he questioned. Syaoran rolled his eyes and turned off the TV.

"What do you want?" he asked again, this time in a calmer voice. Eriol grinned and flung himself into the seat next the Syaoran.

"Meilin is bringing over Tomoyo and Sakura," he explained. Syaoran gave him a deadpan look. "I just thought I'd let you know," he shrugged. Syaoran sighed and stood.

"Why is my house, more specifically my room, the hangout place of the year?" he grumbled.

"Who knows? You're not even a good host," Eriol grinned. Syaoran said nothing as he stood and walked to the other side of the room. "Why would you have anything against that, though? We all know you have the hots for Sakura," Eriol yelled across the room. Syaoran pulled off his shirt and traded it in for a wife beater.

"That may be," Syaoran said as he made his way back to Eriol and snatched his water bottle up from the coffee table. "But the chick would kill me if I tried." Syaoran's lazy smile accentuated his handsome features as Eriol laughed and he walked away.

Trotting downstairs, he sighed as he heard the front door slam open and a very clear _Syao-kun!_ reverberating through the halls. Taking a detour to the kitchen, Syaoran proceeded to refill his water bottle.

"Syaoran-kun!" Syaoran flinched with dismay at the now impossibly close voice.

"Meilin," he answered in a monotone voice. "I didn't think the kitchen would turn into your new hangout place so soon." He turned and faced the three girls, his eye immediately catching Sakura. Chugging the water from his water bottle, he let his eyes linger before addressing Meilin again.

"I thought you were going out?" he questioned.

"Change of plans," Meilin said curtly as she opened the door to one of the three refrigerators adorning the metallic room. Sakura made a face.

"Seriously, just how much food do you guys need?" she asked. Meilin shrugged while Syaoran leaned back against the counter, obviously planning on staying longer than he had originally planned.

"Well we gotta have room for the treats meant for extracurricular activities," Syaoran winked at the brunette as she rolled her eyes. "By the way, love the outfit," he added as he started to head out. Patting the shorter girl on the head for emphasis, Syaoran swore the girl would have bitten his head off if she could.

Sakura simmered angrily as she watched Syaoran walk out.

"Just where the hell does he think he can get off flirting with me like that?" she demanded. Tomoyo sighed and wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulder.

"We're still trying to figure out his mood swings, dear. We have experts on the case," she giggled as Meilin grabbed three beers and lead them to Syaoran's room to visit with Eriol. Walking down the halls, Sakura couldn't stop glaring at herself, tugging and pulling on the clothes Tomoyo had her put on.

"Really, Sakura," Meilin started. "You didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable before we got here." Sakura turned her glare on Meilin. Leaving her clothes alone, Sakura walked through the door Meilin lead them to. Seeing Eriol lounging on a couch watching TV, the girls plopped themselves down around him, Sakura and Tomoyo on either side and Meilin next to Tomoyo.

"I thought for sure you would go straight to Meilin's room," Eriol raised an eyebrow. "And why are you drinking so early in the day?"

Sakura, confused, looked around. "Yeah, Meilin, if this isn't your room, whose is it?"

"Syaoran's," Eriol grinned at her. Sakura groaned.

"Are you all bent on torturing me?" she complained. Tomoyo giggled and patted the distressed girl's lap.

"The boy isn't nearly as bad as you make him out to be. You have to keep in mind that he was raised by a rich family with a strict, unloving mother," Tomoyo explained.

"Hey!" Meilin butt in. "Yelan is not unloving. She just wants the best for her family," she pointed out. Tomoyo rolled her eyes.

"Considering your family owns half of China and Japan, I'm genuinely shocked that woman has time for her children," Tomoyo grumbled. Meilin made a noise of shock and glared at the young beauty.

"You're just jealous," she said simply. Tomoyo, appalled at the accusation, faced the older girl. As the two started bickering, Sakura sighed and zoned them out. Eriol watched her closely as she tried to concentrate on the television.

"So, where are you from again, Sakura?" Eriol asked. Surprised, Sakura's eyes flew toward Eriol.

"Excuse me?" she said, not rudely. Eriol grinned a bit and repeated the question. "Shimoda," she answered simply and turned her attention back to the TV. Eriol went on.

"Why did you move to Tomoeda?" he waited patiently as Sakura tried to conceal her annoyance.

"My mother fell in love and he insisted that we come to him," she replied in as few words as she could think of. She didn't mention, however, the small fact that it was she who pushed her mother into accepting the offer.

"Oh yeah," Eriol grinned. "Clow Reed, right?" Sakura nodded. "He was pretty big around here up until a few months ago." Sakura didn't seem to have any reaction to this, though.

"That doesn't surprise me," she muttered. Eriol settled back into the couch and draped his arm around her.

"Why's that?" he asked. Sakura grabbed a beer Meilin brought up and opened it, taking her time downing half the can before answering.

"He comes home drunk or high with my mother almost every night," she explained. Eriol watched her closely.

"But you share a room with Touya, so it isn't so bad," Eriol reasoned. Sakura gripped the beer can in one hand while she scrutinized Eriol.

"Did Tomoyo or Yamazaki tell you that?" Sakura asked, although it sounded more like a statement. Eriol frowned and looked away. He didn't mean to raise any unneeded suspicion on Sakura's part. When Sakura laughed, however, he turned back. "What?"

"I already know you guys talk about me," she explained. Eriol nodded slowly. "It always seems like you, Tomoyo, Meilin, and Syaoran are some exclusive group. Not even Yamazaki quite fits in with you guys," she mused. Eriol studied her, fully aware that it was making her uncomfortable.

"So what do you think it is that enables you to be around us?" Eriol questioned. Sakura leaned back, facing him, the mere two inches between their faces only enough to see each other's eyes and mouths.

"Tomoyo," Sakura answered. Eriol didn't say anything for a moment, but leaned back when he noticed the bickering had stopped and the room had become rather quiet.

"Tomoyo what?" Tomoyo asked, confused. Eriol's eyes met Sakura's and she grinned innocently.

"Eriol wanted to know the best way to take you out on a formal date," she explained untruthfully. Tomoyo raised an eyebrow as Eriol choked on air.

"What now?" Eriol demanded, staring open mouthed at Sakura. She frowned slightly.

"Well, you just said you wanted to take Tomoyo to that new restaurant on Maine. You were asking me if she would say yes, weren't you?" Sakura asked. Eriol glared heatedly at Sakura. Knowing the discussion on Sakura's life would continue otherwise, Sakura silently dared Eriol to ruin her lie.

"Yeah, I was," Eriol sighed. Silence enveloped the room for a few moments.

"Well, we all knew it would happen someday," Meilin smiled. Tomoyo, who had been shifting uncomfortably, turned bright red.

"I-I don't kn—" Tomoyo started but Sakura cut her off.

"You can wear that purple cocktail dress you got the other day," she smiled. Tomoyo glared slightly at her, but couldn't quite make it last long enough to mean anything. Eriol stayed silent, purposefully avoiding the girl's looks. Meilin stood.

"Well, it probably doesn't help that we're still around, does it, Sakura?" Meilin grinned slyly. Sakura returned the smile and stood as well.

"Probably. We should probably leave these two alone for awhile. They might want to plan ahead," she turned around and started toward the door, Meilin close behind.

"Wait!" the girls heard Tomoyo call. Completely ignoring her, the two left the room. By the time Sakura closed the door, Meilin was giggling uncontrollably.

"To think, Tomoyo and Eriol on a real date!" she exclaimed. Sakura smiled wearily at the girl. Not that she didn't like Meilin, she just didn't think the girl was all the interested in being friends. "You wanna head to the den or something?" Meilin asked. Sakura shrugged and followed the girl down the hall and after a few turns, to the den.

"Can I get some food from the kitchen?" Sakura asked. Meilin nodded offhandedly as she slouched in the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table and the remote in hand. Walking out of the room as the television was switched on, Sakura hummed quietly to herself as she attempted to remember where it was the oversized kitchen was. After a few turns Sakura knew were wrong, she gave a frustrated sigh. "How the hell does anyone live in this maze?" she grumbled. Hearing a deep chuckle behind her, Sakura jumped and spun around. Her eyes landing on a sweaty Syaoran, Sakura narrowed them to glare at the boy.

"It's really pretty simply to find your way around if you pay attention to where you're going," he explained as he sucked water out from his water bottle. Hands on her hips, Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Easy for you to say when you've had a life's time worth of practice," she muttered. Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"Practice finding my way around my own house? I'd like to say knowing where Wei makes my food is enough to find my way around," Syaoran explained.

Sakura frowned. "Wei?"

"My butler."

"I haven't seen any butler around," Sakura pointed out. Syaoran grinned.

"That's because he's on vacation," he explained. As they'd been talking Syaoran continued to move closer to the girl opposite him, something of which she hadn't even noticed until he was a mere six inches away from her. Frowning, and forgetting her sudden thoughts of beating the boy, Sakura sniffed the air.

"You don't stink," she stated. Syaoran stared open mouthed at her for a second.

"Excuse me?" Syaoran stared incredulously at the girl as she glared at his chest.

"You don't _stink_," she explained. She tilted her head up to meet his eyes. "You're sweating and you don't smell like you're sweating." Syaoran couldn't help but grin. A small laugh escaped his lips as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"It's only been half an hour, Sakura," he explained. Sakura's mouth formed a small 'O.'

"But still—" she started but Syaoran interrupted her.

"Are you really going to start up a debate of why or why not I should _stink_?" he demanded. Sakura opened her mouth to retort, but closed it a second later. Then opened it once again, only to close it and form a thin line with her lips. Syaoran's couldn't help but stare and grin at the girl having her completely stupid inner battle. Just when he was about to comment on it, though, she spoke.

"Where's the kitchen?" Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. Syaoran nodded in silent understanding as he realized why the girl was wandering around his house on her own. Sakura cocked her head in annoyance at his delayed answer. "Well?" Syaoran put on a fake frown.

"What kind of tone was that?" he put his hand on his chest as if his heart hurt. "Speaking to your host in such a way, I could have you kicked out." Sakura gave him a 'do-you-think-I'm-an-idiot?' look.

"Oh, but you wouldn't do that," she explained. Syaoran let his face ask the 'why?' question. "Because I'm your eye candy," Sakura sounded exasperated.

Syaoran grinned again. "So you aren't completely dense," he stated. Sakura glared daggers at him.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Her demand broke Syaoran. With a sigh, he grabbed her hand and started dragging her back in the direction she came. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sakura shouted as she struggled to get free.

"I'm taking you to the kitchen," Syaoran stated simply.

"You couldn't just _tell_ me where the hell it is?" Sakura tried digging her heels into the ground to stop him. Syaoran being stronger than her, though, she did not prevail and she ended up nearly falling before she regained her footing and hurried to keep pace with the boy.

"No, you would only get lost again," he replied, seemingly unaware of her struggling. She glared at him as he turned a corner and walked through a doorway into a metallic room. "Ta-dah!" Syaoran gave Sakura a stupid looking grin as she huffed.

"No way!" she cried. Syaoran gave her a questioning look. "I walked down that hall at least ten times and I never saw that door!" she pointed an accusing finger at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Well, at least you didn't make it to that side," Syaoran pointed at the other side of the kitchen, which was mostly blocked off by a row of counters and a bar, with a decent sized dining room on the other side. "That would have made you look really stupid." Sakura glared at him as she refrained from saying she probably had passed by there and just didn't notice the dead giveaway. "Now, if you'll excuse me," Syaoran strutted back to the door. "I have a work out to finish." He grinned at her confused look and left.

"But… if you weren't finished…" Sakura stood there for a few moments contemplating the situation. Then deciding it was useless, opened one of the fridges.

* * *

REVIEW... [: If you'd like.


	8. Chapter 8

**This is a MUST READ for all of my readers:**

I am not happy with this story. I know where I want to be, and I know what should happen to get there, but I don't know how to make these things happen. And you know what? I'm not happy with what I've come up with so far. Every time I post an update, I think, "Ugh, what I did in that chapter was so stupid. Why couldn't I have gone a different route?" And then I see that you guys are reading it and I get the occasional review and story/author alert, so I reread it and think, "I guess that wasn't so bad…" But I _never _get constructive criticism. No writer completes their job without faults, especially me. I am extremely prideful in my work, and want to wring the necks of everyone that belittles my writing, but I know that I am definitely not the best writer out there.

So here's my problem: I have no idea where I'm going wrong. Perhaps I don't think out my smaller plots, connected to the big one. You know, like battles in a war. So far, I feel like I'm losing all of these battles, but I really don't know for sure because a runner hasn't come to tell me which side has come out victorious. I need to know what I'm doing wrong, what I'm doing right, and what I could have done better.

These frustrations I have had resulted in me really not wanting to continue this story in the manner that I have been. I want to finish it, yes, but I don't know whether I should keep going on the path I've chosen or turn around and head back to the fork in the road. So, for those of you that review, please say something other than, "Please update soon!" To be bluntly honest, unless you were my nonexistent boyfriend or long distance best friend, you asking me to update faster is completely pointless (so I would suggest becoming my boyfriend or a best friend if you're hell bent on faster updates). I will update when my schedule allows me to. For those of you that _don't_ review, you should start. _Now_. If you can find time to read a chapter of my story, you can find time to type up a review (unless you're as slow a typist as my brother). I don't care if you tell me you hate it and I've done everything wrong. As long as I know what's going on in your head while you read this, I'm happy. You don't even have to review. Just send me a message. (But do one of those two things).

In conclusion, if I don't receive any opinions on this story within the next two or three weeks, I'll probably delete the chapters after chapter 3 and re-do them. Meaning you all would have to pay attention to my notes to see if I'm changing anything, because if I do, those changes are going to be very different than what is going on right now.

So, all in all, tell me what you think of my story or I'm changing it.

Life Defeats Its Purpose

Chapter Eight

Syaoran tapped his phone impatiently as he stared down the hall at locker 106. Being on the row of lockers closer to the ground, it was hard for the amber eyed boy to keep his eye on it while continually watching out for his friends. Getting impatient after a few minutes though, Syaoran frowned and made a frustrated grunt in the back of his throat. Deciding to do something with his hands, Syaoran's eyes made their way to the screen of his phone and watched as his thumbs navigated their way to his contacts list, then to _her _number.

Why was he doing this, anyway? The girl already hated him. At least, as much as a sixteen year old girl could hate a person. Not that she didn't have a reason, though. Syaoran was completely aware of his tendencies that brought many to label him as an asshole. Very often the things he says come out of nowhere, like the time he insulted her family. Why exactly had he done that again? Right. Nodding to himself, Syaoran remembered barely hanging on to the conversation him and all the other kids that had somehow managed to latch themselves onto his life had the day of AFA auditions. He'd taken part, yes. It wasn't like he zoned out enough to be considered mentally challenged. He just always had a lot on his mind. So when he answered the girl's questions and added his own little opinions to the conversation, Syaoran honestly didn't know what they were really talking about.

That is, until Yamazaki walked in. Well, more like strutted in. Syaoran really never understood the kid. He was almost positive Yamazaki wasn't right in the head. Were they friends? Yeah, Syaoran would say so. But not friends like he and Eriol were.

Syaoran stopped his thought process, something that left him confused, frustrated, and angry, and looked back to locker 106. And there she was. Syaoran knew she stopped by her locker every day after her advanced dance class. He knew because he watched her every day. Maybe that was creepy, but Syaoran couldn't help it. From the moment he saw her he knew there was something about her he had to hang on to.

Returning his attention back to his phone for a moment, Syaoran pressed _call_ and listened to Sakura Kinomoto's phone being dialed. Then, hearing a ringing phone down the hall by locker 106, returned his attention back to the auburn haired beauty.

"_Hello?" _Syaoran smiled at the confused voice. He had recently gotten a new phone number and so it was understandable that Tomoyo hadn't put it in the phone she had gotten Sakura.

"Hey, babe," he decided to mess with her.

"_Excuse me?" _Syaoran mentally laughed at her offended voice, watching the look of shock that had developed from down the hall.

"What do you me 'excuse me?' Don't you recognize my voice? I screamed it enough times last night," Syaoran sounded offended, but from the look on Sakura's face she could obviously hear the smile in his voice.

"_Who the hell is this?" _she demanded. She had stood from her kneeled position in front of her locker and put her hand on her hip in a no-funny-business sort of way, as if he were standing in front of her.

"Baby, this hurts. I can't believe you forgot about that amazing, sexy night we had…" he trailed off as he watched Sakura's face go bright red with anger and embarrassment. Fist shaking at her side, Syaoran could clearly imagine the girl stomping her feet and whining. Then, as she raised her finger in the air to retort and yell at him as if he were a little boy standing in front of her with his hand in the cookie jar, Syaoran couldn't hold back his laughter. Sakura's face went from angry, to shocked, standing there with the phone against her ear and her mouth hanging open.

"_Syaoran!" _she yelled angrily into the phone. Syaoran was glad this was one of the busiest halls in the schools, covering the sound of his laughter with gossip.

"Oh, so you recognize my laugh? How sweet of you!" Syaoran faked adoration in his voice, bits of his laughter still escaping his mouth and making it to the other end of the line. Red with anger, Sakura busied herself with stuffing her books in her bag as she held the phone to her ear, not rude enough to just hang up.

"_What do you want?" _she snapped. Syaoran's smile not fading, he watched her bend over further to reach a book a kid walking by had kicked away, checking out her ass.

"I'm sure you're already well aware," he pointed out. He could practically feel Sakura rolling her eyes at him.

"_Answer the damn question," _she ordered. Stuffing his free hand in his pocket, Syaoran took his time to answer as he watched Sakura.

"I was wondering what you're doing after school today. As in, in a few minutes," he stated. Hearing her sigh, Syaoran watched her stand up straight, hefting her bag onto her right shoulder.

"_I have cleanup duty. We _both_ do," _she stated. Already aware of this, Syaoran shrugged, though she couldn't see.

"So that means we have to go?" he asked. As she started walking down the hall Syaoran followed her, flicking his head to the side as if he had a twitch to get his hair out of his eyes.

"_Yes, that means we have to go!" _Sakura exclaimed. Syaoran grinned, extremely amused.

"But Yuuko is our proctor. And it's the first week of school, so there's no way she'll show up," Syaoran pointed out. He saw Sakura frown as she turned a corner. He followed, far enough away that she still couldn't tell he wasn't just talking to her over the phone.

"_Really? So I could like totally not go and no one would know?" _Sakura asked, sounding completely like a teenage girl.

"Really. So, what do you wanna do?" Syaoran asked. He vaguely heard her grumbling under her breath.

"_I am not doing anything with you. Even if that means actually showing up for cleanup." _Syaoran expected this. Like he told himself earlier, the girl already hated him for a few words that had just slipped out.

"If the janitors find you, they'll kick you out. If you tell them you're serving detention, they'll make you do so. If you go home, your brother will be pissed. Go to any of your friend's houses, and your brother will find out," Syaoran reasoned. Yeah, he'd done his homework. Touya was an overprotective bastard and Syaoran had had plenty of time to serve after school in the earlier years of his teenage life.

Sighing on the other end of the line, Syaoran knew she'd broken easily. _"What exactly did you have in mind?" _she asked. Grinning Syaoran quickened his step to catch up with her.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you that. Shouldn't a first date be something we both like?" he asked right before he got into hearing range. When Sakura spoke he heard her through the phone and through the air separating them.

"This will _not_ be a date," she said firmly over the phone. Still speaking into his own phone, Syaoran grinned.

"I'm not too sure about that." Sakura, shocked, spun around, her bag slipping off her shoulder and too the ground.

"Oh my God! Don't scare me like that!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. Syaoran chuckled as he picked up her bag.

"I don't know, I think I'll try it again sometime," he promised. Glaring, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. Still thoroughly amused, Syaoran walked up closer to Sakura, who refused to move despite the now uncomfortably short distance between them. "I want to explain myself," Syaoran told her. Raising a fine eye brow, Sakura scoffed.

"You mean you're finally gonna admit to being an asshole?" she wondered sarcastically. Syaoran frowned.

"It hurts to hear you say that, baby," he slung his arm over Sakura's shoulder and, with her bag held with his free arm, started leading her to the school parking lot. Rolling her eyes and shrugging him off of her, though, Sakura followed Syaoran at what she felt was a safe distance.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Syaoran shrugged. "I figured we'd get something to eat. Easier to talk that way." Sakura snorted unattractively.

"Eating and talking is _not_ attractive," Sakura pointed out. Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean." They'd made it to the parking lot, Syaoran leading Sakura to his black convertible.

* * *

_Sakura giggled uncontrollably as she latched herself onto an older man. "That was so fun, daddy," she laughed. The man holding on to her grinned. _

"_It was, wasn't it? Wanna do it again sometime?" he asked in a playful voice. Sakura answered with a gleeful hug, followed by a dash through the snow covered ground to the front door of a small yellow house. _

"_Mama! We're home!" Sakura yelled into the house. A woman a few years younger than Sakura's father came in to view._

"_What? Home from where?" she frowned disapprovingly at Sakura's father. _

_Shifting uncomfortably under her scrutinizing gaze, he answered, "The convertible." Suddenly flushed with anger, the woman put her hands on her hips._

"_You took her out driving in that piece of junk in this weather?" she demanded to know. _

"_Yes, but it's not like we were in any danger of anything, Nadeshiko," Sakura's father answered, pointing to Sakura's oversized hat. _

"_It's not you I care about!" Nadeshiko yelled. "Fujitaka, what if that car had broken down? And it's a convertible, it doesn't even make any sense to drive around in it at this time of year," Nadeshiko reasoned, grabbing Sakura's wrist somewhat violently and pulling the hat off of her head. "My baby girl probably has cold, at the very least, now…" she mumbled. _

_Fujitaka frowned in dismay and helped tug off Sakura's coat. "As you can see, she's fine." Sakura backed her father up by delivering Nadeshiko a brilliant smile. _

"_Yeah, Mama! Why don't you come with us next time?" the little girl offered. Giving Sakura a stern look, though, Nadeshiko shook her head._

"_No. And you're not going again, either," she ordered. A frown immediately replaced Sakura's smile._

"_But—" _

"_No buts," Nadeshiko finished the conversation._

* * *

"Hello? Sakura?" Syaoran waved his hand in front of Sakura's face as they waited for their food.

"Huh?" Sakura replied intelligently as she shook herself out of her reverie. Syaoran raised a skeptical eyebrow at her.

"Are we sure I'm the mentally challenged one everyone talks about here?" he questioned. Sakura copied his raised eyebrow.

"So you are mentally challenged? These mood swings you have have an explanation?" Sakura asked pointedly. Grinning slightly, Syaoran shook his head.

"Yes and no," he answered vaguely, much to Sakura dismay. The two were then approached by a lady with an ever-present smile and their food. Syaoran could barely tell she was extremely annoyed at having to serve them, waiting for them for nearly half an hour while they argued over school detention, ending in Sakura shutting up and retreating within herself. He made a mental note to give her a large tip.

"Enjoy your meal," she said, then left. Sakura, eyeing her quesadilla salad hungrily, quickly unwrapped her silverware and dug in. Syaoran watched her with an amused look on his face, taking his time with his steak and potatoes.

"Anyway," Syaoran went on after a few minutes, "you know I'm a pretty rich and well-known guy." Sakura snorted at this, swallowing the food in her mouth before answering.

"I would change 'pretty' to 'definitely,'" she responded. Syaoran grinned.

"Well, it's not like I asked for it," he pointed out.

"But you enjoy it and bestow bragging rights upon yourself," Sakura countered.

"With me as a friend, though, I could be your saving grace someday," Syaoran concluded.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I would hardly consider you a _friend_. More like an unwanted acquaintance," she said, taking a particularly large bite of her salad.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I'm starving and this place has the best food in the world," Sakura grinned. "The fact that you're paying doesn't hurt, either." Syaoran looked at her as though she'd grown a second head.

"Since when am I paying for your meal?" he asked, cutting his entire steak into bite size pieces.

"This is a date, isn't it?" Sakura rolled her eyes. "At least, you want to believe it is. So unless you're a genuine asshole, you're paying," she explained. Syaoran studied her for a bit, chewing on his food.

"So you don't think I'm a 'genuine asshole'?" he asked when he swallowed. Sakura shook her head.

"Maybe you were having a bad day. Maybe you've been off lately and I just came along at the wrong time. Or maybe Yamazaki sets you off," Sakura related, meeting his gaze. "But I don't think you are a genuine asshole."

Syaoran thought about this for a short time, chewing his food thoughtfully. "Then why do you hate me?"

"Because what you said was inexcusable," Sakura pointed out.

"But you got to punch me," Syaoran countered with a wry grin. Sakura sighed contently.

"Probably the proudest moment of my life," she said, adding a dreamy tone to her voice. Syaoran laughed, and Sakura soon joined him.

"But, yeah, that hurt," Syaoran said when he'd calmed down. Sakura sat there grinning.

"It was supposed to," she informed him. Syaoran shook his head slowly.

"Every reason you gave me for my actions that day are true," Syaoran said. Momentarily shocked, Sakura put her fork down slowly.

"Care to explain?" she asked. Fiddling slightly with the fork still in his hand, Syaoran stared down at his food for a minute. When he glanced up, his eyes caught the hands of a clock on the wall in front of him.

"No," he said. Sakura glared at him. Grinning wryly, he explained, "I have somewhere to be."

"We haven't even been here an hour," Sakura complained. Calling a waiter over, Syaoran nodded.

"So? I have somewhere else I need to be. I didn't think we'd be bickering so much of the time," Syaoran said quickly as he paid and stood. Sakura, still glaring at him, crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, you're driving me home, right?" Sakura asked.

Signaling for her to stand up, Syaoran shook his head with a chuckle. "Hell no, I'm driving you to the school where your brother can pick you up." Standing, Sakura's glare faltered.

"Why?" Syaoran looked nervously to the side.

"He doesn't know you skipped out on detention," he said quickly.

"And?" Sakura prompted. Syaoran raised a brow at her as they left the restaurant.

"And what?" he asked.

"It sounds a lot like you're leaving something out," Sakura pointed out, though she did feel stupid for forgetting about Touya.

Sighing and opening the passenger side door of his car for her, he watched as Sakura slipped into her seat then climbed into the driver's side.

"It's nothing, just your brother."


End file.
